V* 


I<'UKI)   M.   J>K>   I 


THE    SCARLET   COAT 


THE  SCARLET   COAT 


BY 

CLINTON   ROSS 


NEW   YORK 
STONE   &   KIMBALL 

M  DCCC  XCVI 


COPYRIGHT,   1896,  BY 
STONE     AND     KIMBALL 


PS 

.27*4 
, 


TO 

GEORGE  COCHRANE  BROOME. 

MY  DEAR  BROOME,  — Before  this  tale  of  York 
Town  I  put  your  name  —  that  too  of  my  own 
county  in  New  York  —  which  commemorates 
the  Revolutionary  service  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Broome,  — the  honorable  name  of  a  line  of  Amer 
ican  gentlemen,  soldiers,  and  sailors. 

Yet  more  to  me  is  the  memory  of  the  careless 
days,  when  together  we  rode  the  long  miles  of  the 
hill  country. 

At  New  York, 

March  xyth,  1896. 


wind  roared  in  the  chimney,  sending 
a  gusty  flame  from  flickering  log  over 
the  tawny  collies  by  the  hearth,  —  while  the 
Host  told  again  a  tale  of  The  Rivals ;  not 
an  heroic  figure  altogether,  —  this  Captain  of 
Armanis  Horse  ;  nay,  rather  a  bit  of  ordi 
nary  human  passion,  —  not  pitched  to  the 
high  notes,  —  against  the  background  of  the 
great,  passionate  siege. 

"  Tet"  said  the  Host,  "  he  was  the  great 
est  of  our  family.  Only  when  blinded  by  his 
passion  for  the  charming  mistress  of  Jervon 
House  did  he  act  inefficiently.  His  rivalry 
with  Fairmount  is  indeed  the  darkest  of  his 
long,  honorable  history.  I  wish  he  were  a 
figure  more  heroic ;  but  I  only  can  tell  you  of 
him  as  he  was.  And  it  brings  him  before  me 
to  sit  here,  as  he  sat  a  century  since,  with 
collies  of  the  same  strain  as  'Jem  and  Beth 
there  before  the  fire.  When  the  wind  growls 


as  it  does  to-night,  be  seems  to  come  out  of  the 
past;  and  his  two  escapes  from  Colonel  Tarle- 
ton  appear  no  longer  improbable.  Yet  he  moves 
perhaps  a  rather  pale  figure  against  the  lurid 
background  of  great  events.  The  life  of  my 
great-grandsire  then  seems  only  a  thread  of 
continuity  on  which  is  hung  the  main  tale  — 
the  national  tale  —  worthy  an  epic." 

"My  dear  fellow"  I  said,  "you  are  too 
declamatory.  Now  let  us  judge  of  the 
story." 

When  without  more  urgency,  as  he  was 
vain  with  his  subject,  the  present  master  of 
'Jervon  House  began  the  tale  of  The  Scarlet 
Coat,  which  indeed  might  be  put  better,  A 
Tale  of  York  Town. 


Contents 

Chapter  I 

How  Lord  Cornwaiiis  wrote  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton  relative  to  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette, 
"The  Boy  can't  escape  me,-"  and  how 
Captain  Kenneth  lost  his  road  when  on  his 
way  to  ask  further  reinforcements  from 
Governor  Jefferson n— 37 

Chapter  II 

How  Captain  Kenneth  found  a  new  use  for  a 
large  chimney ;  and  how  Governor  Thomas 
Jefferson  was  bothered  when  seeking  a  quota 
tion  from  Horace  .  .  .  .  •  •  3^~57 

Chapter  III 

How  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  surprised 
by  the  report  of  a  Manoeuvre  of  the  Earl 
of  Cornwaiiis,  decided  from  Pursued  to  be 
come  Pursuer 5&~72 

7 


Contents 
Chapter  IV 

How  Captain  Kenneth  acted  as  Miss  Jervon's 
escort ;  how  at  a  certain  Tavern  on  the 
road  he  defended  his  General  against  the 
charges  of  a  member  of  the  Virginian  As 
sembly  ;  and  how  he  again  joined  the  Mar 
quis  at  New  Kent  Court  House  .  73-105 

Chapter  V 

How  General  de  la  Fayette  had  from  Mr. 
Fairmount  an  Explanation  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis'  Manoeuvres  ....  106-124 

Chapter  VI 

How  the  Marquis  fought  His  Lordship  at  Sir 
William  Berkeley's  House  of  Green  Spring ; 
and  how  Captain  Kenneth,  forgetting  Duty, 
was  reminded  of  the  Lapse  .  .  125-134 

Chapter  VII 

How  Captain  Kenneth  heard  that  from  Col 
onel  Tarleton  confirming  his  previous  opin 
ion  of  Mr.  Fairmount       .      .      .      135-153 
8 


Contents 


Chapter  VIII 

How  Captain  Kenneth  reported  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief,  encamped  then  at  Dobbs 
Ferry  ;  how  he  found  himself  in  the  power 
of  an  insidious  enemy  ;  and  how  General 
Washington  at  last  was  persuaded  to  the 
famous  march  against  Lord  Cornwallis 

154-178 


Chapter  IX 

How  Lieu  tenant- Colonel   Kenneth   came  to 
be  censured  by  the  Commander-in-Chief 

179-198 


Chapter  X 

How  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kenneth,  by  favor 
of  General  de  la  Fayette,  was  in  the  assault 
on  the  Rock  Redoubt ;  and  how,  taken 
through  his  own  rashness,  he  again  met 
Colonel  Tarleton  .  .  .  I99~233 


Contents 

Chapter  XI 

How  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kenneth,  being  a 
prisoner  on  parole  within  the  lines  at  York 
Town,  served  as  Surgeon's  Assistant ;  and 
how  Captain  Jervon  was  commended  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Robert  Abercrombie  for 
bravery  in  a  certain  sortie .  .  .  234-263 

Chapter  XII 

How  my  Lord  Cornwallis  planned  to  Imitate 
a  Certain  Famous  Retreat  of  his  Rival ;  but 

How  at  ten  o'clock  of  Oct.  I9th,  1781,  a 
Drummer  in  Red  beat  a  certain  Parley  from 
one  of  His  Lordship's  Parapets  .  264-286 

Chapter  XIII 

How  Lord  Cornwallis'  Army  marched  be 
tween  the  lines  of  the  Allies  to  the  tune 
"The  World  Turned  Upside  Down" 

287-296 

In  Epilogue 297-310 

10 


Chapter  I. 

How  Lord  Cornwallis  wrote  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  relative  to  the 
Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  "  The 
Boy  can't  escape  me ;  "  and  how 
Captain  Kenneth  lost  his  road 
when  on  his  way  to  ask  further 
reinforcements  from  Governor 
Jefferson. 

r  I  "*O  make  all  worse  the  mare  fell  lame. 
-i  But  in  the  darkness,  densened  by 
the  rain,  neither  Finch  nor  his  master  could 
tell  the  reason.  The  poor  brute  only  set 
up  a  dismal  neighing,  and  Kenneth  swore 
a  little. 

"  I  dunno,  sar,  how  much  farther  she 
can  go.      Had  n't  you  better,  Marse  John, 
ride  mine,  and  let  me  lead  the  lady  ? " 
ii 


The  Scat  let  Coat 

"  Poor  girl,"  said  Kenneth,  softly, 
u  she  's  had  a  deal  of  hard  work  lately." 

"  It  was  hard  when  we  was  runnin* 
with  the  Marquis,"  said  Finch,  fumbling 
for  flint  and  steel,  and  up  to  his  ankles  in 
the  mud.  The  light  fell  in  a  little  circle 
about,  and  just  then  was  a  flash  against 
low,  dull  clouds,  followed  by  a  rumble  as 
if  all  the  artillery  were  now  above. 

"  It 's  bad,  sar,"  said  Finch  at  last. 

"  Oh,  the  devil,"  said  Kenneth.  "  It 
only  adds  to  the  rest  of  the  bad  luck. 
Come,  Finch,  we  '11  rest  'em  both  a  bit 
by  walking." 

"  Look  out  for  holes,"  said  Finch,  as 
he  stumbled  into  one. 

You  can  imagine  what  Virginian  roads 
were  in  June,  1781,  by  riding  over  them 
even  in  June,  1896.  The  commandant 
of  Armand's  remnant  of  horse  (now  that 
Armand,  Marquis  de  la  Ronairie,  was  with 
General  Gates  in  Carolina)  found  himself 
swearing  again.  It  was  not  Kenneth's 
way  to  swear;  but  to  all  their  other 
12 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

troubles  were  added  these  of  the  limping 
mare,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  road.  If 
this  had  been  one  of  the  counties  along 
the  Potomac,  Kenneth  could  have  cor 
rected  it  easily,  for  he  often  said  that 
those  roads  he  could  follow  blind-folded. 
He  had  been  bred  in  Prince  William, 
excepting  for  the  three  years  in  England, 
and  six  months  in  Westchester  when  the 
manor  had  fallen  to  him.  Westchester 
was  become  the  bloody,  neutral  ground  of 
the  Revolution,  and  Kenneth  had  left  his 
acres  there  practically  abandoned.  He 
had  been  in  the  fight  from  the  first,  from 
Canada  to  Camden  town ;  and  now  he 
was  only  Captain ;  although  he  had  done 
much  that  was  brave,  and  clever,  Kenneth 
was  not  the  man  to  push  himself.  The 
chance  had  been  always  too  early  or  too 
late.  And  he  was  waiting  it,  a  man  of 
thirty-five,  now  commandant  of  the  sixty 
remaining  of  Armand's  horse  with  the 
little  Marquis'  fleeing  army  in  Virginia. 
Of  all  the  French  gentlemen  who  came  to 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

fight  with  us  Colonel  Armand,  too,  had 
received  the  least  recognition,  and,  yet, 
none  did  better  service,  as  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Henry  Lee  himself  has  attested. 
Why  should  Kenneth  care  when  better 
men  than  he  had  no  better  recognition. 

Kenneth  thought  of  this  as  he  and 
Finch  struggled  through  the  mud  in  the 
thunder-storm  of  that  June  night.  Once 
he  felt  in  his  pocket  to  see  if  the  letter 
from  the  little  Marquis  were  safe.  It  was 
rather  a  useless  mission  at  the  best  he 
thought,  but  it  was  his  order  to  carry  it 
out;  to  make  it  more  imperative  by  his 
vivid  description  of  the  army's  need. 
Governor  Jefferson  must  raise  more 
militia,  the  "  little "  General  had  written. 
He  was  doing  his  best,  but  what  could  he 
when  outnumbered  three  to  one  ?  The 
General-in-Chief  expected  him  to  protect 
Virginia.  That  was  patently  absurd  when 
all  his  wit  was  needful  to  keep  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  from  catching  his  army  of  defence, 
like  a  rat  cornered  at  a  baiting.  The 
14 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

General  knew  that  Governor  Jefferson  had 
done  much,  but  he  must  do  more.  The 
appeal  to  the  General-in-Chief  in  New 
York  had  been  fruitless,  for  His  Excellency 
had  answered  that  he  only  could  spare 
General  Anthony  Wayne  and  eight  hun 
dred  of  the  Pennsylvania  line.  The  Mar 
quis  de  la  Fayette  continued  that  he  had 
not  heard  a  word  from  General  Wayne, 
while  Lord  Cornwallis  was  at  his  heels ; 
and  Baron  Steuben  with  his  small  force 
was  guarding  the  stores  at  The  Fork. 
Governor  Jefferson  must  raise  men.  Cap 
tain  Kenneth  would  tell  the  Marquis'  dire 
strait  in  greater  detail. 

Yes,  the  Captain  could,  and  his  own, 
too,  now  as  he  stumbled  along  that  muddy 
way  by  the  little  mare  that  he  loved,  and 
that  had  borne  him  in  many  a  good  fight. 
Kenneth  could  tell  of  inefficiency,  of 
frighted  Virginia  militia ;  but  of  the  little 
Marquis  now  only  good.  At  first  sharing 
the  common  opinion  that  the  Chief  had 
made  a  lamentable  mistake  in  sending  this 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

boy  to  command  in  Virginia,  he  lately  had 
decided  that  the  "boy's"  tactics  in  con 
ducting  the  retreat  before  the  overwhelm 
ing  force  could  not  have  been  better. 
Kenneth  had  ended  by  thinking  of  him 
no  longer  as  "  the  boy "  but  as  "  the 
general " ;  and  had  resented  that  inter 
cepted  dispatch  of  the  one  masterly  British 
General,  Earl  Cornwallis,  which  had  read, 
u  The  boy  shall  not  escape  me." 

But  could  he  ?     Was  n't  it  all  over  ? 

Such  a  night  as  this,  stumbling  with  a 
disabled  horse  over  an  unknown  road  and 
added  to  all  utter  physical  weariness,  was 
enough  to  make  the  most  hopeful  dismal. 
The  Army  of  the  South  had  been  out 
manoeuvred  and  defeated.  Virginia  was 
at  the  conqueror's  mercy.  An  invasion 
was  threatened  from  Canada.  There  was 
no  money  to  pay  the  ragged,  worn-out 
soldiers.  The  people  were  tired  of  war. 
The  king  of  England's  navy  seemed  to  be 
keeping  his  French  Majesty's  navy  busied 
in  the  West  Indies,  even  if  Monsieur  de 
16 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Rochambeau  was  in  Connecticut  with 
some  few  vessels  around  Newport. 

"  The  jig  is  up,"  said  the  Captain  of 
Armand's  to  himself.  He  felt  as  if  this 
particular  expedition  were  up,  this  useless 
mission  to  Governor  Jefferson  (for  what 
indeed  could  the  Governor  do  more  than 
he  was  ?) ;  at  least  his,  Kenneth's  part  of 
the  dance  was  up.  He  could  go  no  farther, 
positively  not  another  step ;  tired,  drenched, 
hungry.  Finch's  voice  interrupted  with 
"A  light." 

A  light  this  certainly  was  from  a  point 
apparently  back  from  the  road,  toward 
which  they  now  turned.  Kenneth  did  not 
care.  He  would  take  any  risk  for  food 
and  rest.  Finch  and  he  and  the  horses 
groped  their  way  toward  a  building,  half 
hidden  by  trees,  but  which  the  frequent 
flashes  showed  to  be  a  dwelling  of  some 
consequence.  But  no  one  questioned  their 
approach,  nor  was  there  at  once  a  response 
to  the  loud  summons  Kenneth  made  with 
the  knocker,  while  his  servant  waited 
2  17 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

shivering,  and  yet  with  a  black's  confidence 
in  his  master  to  do  all  things.  The  single 
light  gleamed  from  a  shuttered  window. 
At  last  were  steps  behind  the  door,  and  a 
voice,  a  woman's. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  A  traveller  who  has  lost  his  way." 

u  I  can't  admit  you." 

"  I  '11  break  in,  then,"  Kenneth  began 
angrily.  "  You  would  n't  leave  a  dog  out 
in  such  a  storm  !  " 

u  I  don't  dare,  sir,"  came  the  voice  more 
timidly. 

"  Are  you  alone  ?  " 

"  Perhaps." 

He  noted  that  it  was  a  well-toned  voice. 

"Well!"  he  began,  "what  shall  I  do?" 

For  answer  he  thought  he  heard  whis 
pers.  He  could  not  be  sure.  Possibly  it 
was  only  the  wind  and  rain.  No,  he  was 
sure.  The  woman  was  not  alone.  His 
mare  whinneyed,  angering  him ;  and  again 
he  sounded  the  knocker,  and  emphasized  his 
demand  with  his  fists  on  the  oaken  panel. 
18 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

tc  Wait  !  can't  you  ?  "  came  the  same 
voice,  impatiently  ;  "  you  can't  expect  me 
to  admit  you  in  a  moment,  in  these 
times." 

"  I  have  waited,"  he  added  unreasonably. 

For  answer  bolts  were  drawn ;  a  chain 
rattled  ;  the  door  oped ;  and  candle  light 
flickering  in  the  sudden  gust,  showed  him 
a  long  Virginian  hall,  of  a  house  of  more 
than  ordinary  consequence,  he  saw  at 
once.  But  he  chiefly  noted  the  person 
standing  there  questioning  with  her  eyes. 

She  was  not  more  than  twenty  ;  a  full 
face ;  with  an  exquisite  mouth,  now  firm 
enough,  and  yet  that  might  pout,  or  laugh  ; 
the  most  irresistible  mouth,  Kenneth  de 
cided,  there  at  the  door.  The  eyes  were 
darkish  blue  or  black.  The  brow,  low 
and  broad,  was  framed  by  the  reddish 
blond  hair  disarranged  as  if  by  the  hat 
having  been  taken  off  hastily.  In  one 
hand  she  held  a  riding  whip ;  and  the 
rounded  figure  was  shown  by  the  folds 
of  a  dark  green  habit,  mud-spattered, 
19 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

as  if  she  had  not  been  long  from  her 
horse. 

She,  on  her  part,  saw  a  tall  man  ;  dark 
eyes  and  thin,  close  lips,  being  the  features 
of  this  swarthy  Kenneth  of  Prince  William. 
Every  Kenneth  for  generations  had  the 
broad  shoulders,  muscular  body,  dark  eyes, 
and  firm  mouth,  with  that  singular  look 
quite  inconsistent  with  all  this  masculine 
force  ;  something  almost  womanish  despite 
the  firmness.  If  in  the  old  days  Kenneth 
had  been  careful  about  his  dress,  hard 
service  left  that  sometimes  impossible,  and 
now  out  of  the  rain  he  thought  of  this 
because  she  seemed  charming. 

"  I  have  lost  my  way,"  he  began. 

"  I  really  am  sorry,  but  what  can  I 
do  ?  " 

He  stared  a  moment. 

"  I  might  ask  the  favor  of  your  roof," 
he  said  bluntly. 

"  I  am  alone,  I  regret  —  " 

A  voice  interrupted,  and  there  entered 
a  man,  tall,  slender,  fair  as  the  girl, 
20 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

in  a  scarlet  coat.  Kenneth  knew  exactly 
to  which  regiment  the  color  belonged. 
Involuntarily  his  own  hand  went  to  his 
pistols.  The  other  came  forward  courte 
ously. 

"  You  must  excuse  us  in  these  times, 
sir.  But  of  course  we  would  not  turn 
any  one  away  in  such  a  storm.  Jock." 

A  little  black  appeared. 

u  Get  a  lantern  and  show  the  gentle 
man's  servant  the  stable." 

Now  it  was  Kenneth's  turn  to  be  on 
his  manners ;  and  while  he  expressed  his 
obligation  he  wondered  at  the  fright  the 
girl's  face  suddenly  expressed.  She  was 
staring  at  the  young  officer  as  if  she  feared 
for  his  safety.  They  went  into  the  room 
whence  the  man  in  the  scarlet  coat  had 
appeared.  The  young  man  seemed  to 
read  his  query. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  motioning  the  visitor  to 
a  chair.  "  I  '11  not  hide  the  matter.  I  'm 
Captain  Richard  Jervon  of  Burgoyne's; 
from  the  contingent  at  Charlotte." 

21 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  How  can  you  ?  "  began  the  girl,  re 
proachfully. 

But  Kenneth  understood.  General 
Burgoyne's  captured  army  was  encamped 
at  Charlottesville.  The  question  had  been 
since  Lord  Cornwallis'  entry  into  Virginia 
whether  they  might  not  forget  themselves, 
and  rise.  And  why  was  this  Captain 
Jervon  so  far  from  Charlottesville  ?  And 
why  had  they  been  fearful  at  his  knock  ? 
Was  Captain  Jervon  on  his  way  to  Lord 
Cornwallis  ?  And  how  did  he  chance  to 
be  in  that  coat,  the  livery  of  active  ser 
vice  ? 

Yet  Kenneth  tried  not  to  show  his 
interest  too  strongly ;  not  to  forget  he  was 
enjoying  their  hospitality.  He  was  startled 
by  the  girl's  voice ;  and  noting  how  nearly 
like  the  two,  he  decided  they  were  brother 
and  sister. 

"  Virginians  are  not  usually  so  chary  of 
their  hospitality,"  she  began  with  a  little 
smile,  so  evidently  forced,  of  apologetic 
courtesy. 

22 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  I  see  you  are  Virginians,"  said  Ken 
neth.  "  I  understand,  too,  how  the  dis 
order  has  made  great  care  needful.  I  think 
you  are  very  good  to  me." 

"  And  then  we  are  alone  here,"  went  on 
Jervon ;  "  while  the  house  is  only  lodging 
for  the  night.  It  belongs  to  Fairmount,  of 
whom  you  know." 

u  Ah,  Fairmount  of  neither  side,"  Ken 
neth  said. 

"  Not  as  we  are.  We  of  the  Jervons 
naturally  stand  by  the  king.  I  was  in  the 
army  before  the  trouble  —  " 

u  I  understand,"  said  Kenneth,  simply. 
"  My  brother  was  for  the  King." 

"  Your  brother,  sir  ?  " 

u  Was  killed  at  Monmouth,  Captain 
Jervon." 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  the  other 
cried.  "  I  understand  how  you  feel,  sir. 
I  have  been  out  of  it ;  a  prisoner  up  there 
so  long ;  I  only  have  been  exchanged  —  " 

"  And  you  are  on  your  way  to  join  Lord 
Cornwallis  ?  "  Kenneth  began. 
23 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Jervon  looked  at  him  questioningly  for  a 
moment. 

"  Yes,"  said  he. 

"  Dick,"  interrupted  the  girl  here,  u  you 
always  talk  too  much." 

She  looked  at  Kenneth  with  such  evi 
dent  suspicion  and  dislike  that  he  was 
chagrined.  Wet  as  he  was,  weary,  mud- 
spattered,  he  remembered  again  how  poor 
an  appearance  he  made,  —  remembered,  too, 
how  he  had  heard  of  these  Jervons,  repre 
sented  now  by  him  of  Jervon  House  and  a 
boy  and  girl,  who  had  been  bred  in  Eng 
land.  He  understood  how  the  girl  might 
be  here  to  meet  her  brother  from  Char- 
Jottesville.  But  why  should  they  be  sus 
picious  of  him  ?  as  an  American  officer  ? 
Was  it  possible  that  Jervon  was  on  his 
way  to  convey  information  of  an  uprising 
among  the  prisoners  at  Charlottesville  ? 
He  remembered  that  Governor  Jefferson 
had  feared  this,  and  now,  thinking  of  these 
possibilities,  Kenneth  returned  the  young 
lady's  look  with  interest.  In  the  stronger 
24 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

light  of  this  room  he  saw  she  indeed  was 
undeniably  pretty.  He  noticed  the  exquis 
ite  coloring  of  her  hair  which  seemed  to 
send  back  a  glint  to  the  sparks  on  the 
hearth.  For,  although  a  June  night,  a  log 
was  there  with  the  chairs  drawn  up,  show 
ing  where  the  brother  and  sister  had  been 
talking.  Ancestral  Fairmounts  looked  down 
on  the  three.  Yet,  if  his  sister  showed  fear, 
Captain  Jervon  was  nonchalant. 

"  Pray  be  seated,"  he  said  again.  "  You 
must  be  hungry.  The  house,  although 
almost  deserted,  still  has  a  cook." 

"  You  are  very  good,"  Kenneth  began 
again.  "  I  should  explain,  1 5m  John  Ken 
neth,  commandant  of  the  remnant  of  the 
Marquis  de  la  Ronarie's  horse." 

"  You  are  from  the  Marquis  de  la  Fay- 
ette  ?  "  Jervon  asked. 

«  Yes." 

"  On  your  way  to  Charlottesville  ?  " 

cc  I    did   not   say  that,"   Kenneth   inter 
rupted  calmly,  "  but  I  should  like  to  know 
what  road  I  am  on." 
25 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"The  Charlottesville  road.  I  thought 
you  might  be  on  your  way  to  the  Gov 
ernor." 

Kenneth  did  not  answer.  The  girl's 
suspicious  eyes  began  to  irritate  him. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  for  my  curiosity," 
Captain  Jervon  said  at  this  point.  u  You 
will  understand  how  suspicious  we  are  of 
everybody  now-a-days." 

u  We  are  forced  to  be,"  acknowledged 
Kenneth,  laconically. 

"  We  would  better  arrange  for  Captain 
Kenneth's  dinner,  Charlotte." 

u  Ah,  yes,  Captain  Kenneth,  I  trust  you 
will  allow  us  that  pleasure." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  trouble  you  so  much," 
Kenneth  said,  looking  at  her  with  renewed 
interest,  and  wondering  at  the  habit  with 
evidence  of  miles  of  the  road. 

u  Oh,  it 's  no  trouble,"  she  began,  and 
paused. 

The  storm  still  was  keeping  its  uproar, 
but  through  it  all  another  sound  was  evi 
denced.  They  listened,  each  with  dif- 
26 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ferent  degrees  of  interest.  Now  it  was 
that  the  young  lady  began  to  smile,  and 
that  Kenneth's  hand  went  to  his  sword. 

"  Dick,"  said  the  girl,  "  he  is  here." 

"  Who  ?  "  asked  Kenneth. 

But  if  the  noises  of  the  storm  had  hidden 
their  approach,  he  now  could  have  no 
doubt  but  that  many  horsemen  were  be 
fore  the  house ;  that  some  even  now  were 
dismounted  at  the  door.  He  looked  about 
anxiously  when  he  was  sure  of  this,  seek 
ing  a  chance.  Yet  he  might  not  wish 
it. 

The  hall-door  slammed.  It  had  been 
left  unbolted  then.  A  short  thick-set  man, 
swarthy,  with  penetrating  black  eyes,  was 
on  the  threshold. 

"  You  are  here,  then  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Captain  Jervon,  "luckily 
we  reached  here." 

But  Charlotte  Jervon  interrupted.  Her 
voice  was  low,  and  eager  ;  her  eyes  flashed 
nervously ;  and  she  looked  defiantly  at 
Kenneth. 

27 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

cc  You  are  in  time,  Colonel  Tarleton, 
to  get  a  messenger  from  the  Marquis  de  la 
Fayette  to  Governor  Jefferson." 

Kenneth  stepped  forward. 

u  Thanks  for  your  hospitality  which  has 
brought  me  again  into  Colonel  Banastre 
Tarleton's  hands.  I  did  not  know  you 
were  so  far  up  country,  Colonel." 

"  Gad,  —  you  are  that  fellow,  Kenneth," 
said  Tarleton. 

"  Well,  I  can't  deny  it." 

u  I  suppose,  as  you  are  my  prisoner 
again,  that  I  shall  have  to  ask  for  your 
papers.  You  see  we  are  so  far,  Mr. 
Kenneth,  because  we  have  good  horses." 

"  Taken  from  Virginian  stables." 

"  Rebels'  stable,"  said  Banastre  Tarleton, 
smiling. 

Jervon  interrupted. 

"  I  hope  you  do  not  think  we  expected 
Colonel  Tarleton  so  soon,  Captain  Ken 
neth.  I  should  be  the  last  person  in  the 
world  to  use  hospitality  as  a  cloak  for 
treachery." 

28 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  plainly  have  forgotten,  Captain 
Jervon,  that  you  are  one  of  Burgoyne's 
captured  officers  on  parole  at  Charlottes- 
ville,"  said  Kenneth,  quietly. 

u  You  lie,  sir,"  cried  Jervon.  "  I  was 
exchanged  yesterday  as  I  told  you.  If  I 
am  here  by  appointment  to  meet  Colonel 
Tarleton  it 's  all  fair  enough." 

Charlotte  Jervon  turned  from  the  hearth. 

"  Sir,"  she  said  violently,  "  I  believe  you 
were  dangerous  to  my  brother's  safety.  I 
warned  you  not  to  enter  this  house,  but  you 
insisted.  You  have  brought  it  on  your 
self." 

She  faced  him  unflinchingly. 

"  I  'm  sorry,  Mr.  Kenneth,  but  if  you 
have  any  papers  I  must  see  them,"  said 
Tarleton. 

Kenneth  looked  about  him,  at  the  three 
persons  in  the  room.  Outside  was  the 
jingle  of  trappings.  To  try  to  run  was 
complete  folly.  And  on  the  other  hand 
he  hated,  indeed,  to  give  up  his  mes 
sage  which  would  declare  his  general's 
29 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

plight.  Yet  easily  they  might  search 
him.  He  would  as  well  do  it  gracefully, 
when  forced  to  it. 

u  If  you  may  be  a  messenger  to  Thomas 
Jefferson,  I  expect  to  have  His  Excellency 
as  a  fellow-prisoner  of  yours  before  noon 
to-morrow." 

Tarleton  spoke  as  a  man  who  could  not 
be  thwarted,  and  Kenneth  suddenly  under 
stood  the  significance.  Colonel  Tarleton 
was  there  with  his  troopers  to  abduct  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  State  at  Char- 
lottesville  and  Governor  Jefferson  in  his 
home  at  Monticello.  He  had  fallen  in 
with  the  raiders  easily,  thanks  to  having 
been  lost  in  this  storm.  He  looked  about 
again,  and  this  time  particularly  at  Char 
lotte  Jervon  who  stood  by  the  hearth,  her 
back  again  half  turned-  Captain  Jervon  ap 
peared  rather  shamefaced  at  the  apparent 
trick.  And  what  did  it  matter  ?  Heavens, 
the  enemy  knew  how  small  a  force  the 
Marquis  had.  With  sudden  bravado  Ken 
neth  produced  the  packet,  but  instead  of 
30 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

handing  it  to  Colonel  Tarleton,  flung  it 
on  the  table. 

"  There  it  is,  Colonel,  and  may  it  do 
you  a  deal  of  good  !  " 

Tarleton  looked  his  prisoner  over  care 
fully.  He  was  a  keen  observer  of  men, 
quick-tempered  himself,  appreciative  of 
others'  bravery,  as  his  memoirs  show 
conclusively. 

"  I  am  sorry,  Captain  Kenneth,"  he  said 
courteously.  u  I  believe  you  have  given 
me  all." 

Kenneth  noticed  he  gave  him  his  title, 
instead  of  the  "  Mr."  with  which  British 
officers  commonly  styled  officers  of  the 
United  States. 

"  For  my  part  I  wish  to  make  such 
reparation  as  I  can.  If  you  will  give  me 
your  parole  ?  " 

u  Ah,  I  will  not,"  said  Kenneth,  defiantly. 
"  Not  to-night  at  least,"  he  added. 

"  Well  at  least  we  can  make  enough  use 
of  Mr.  Fairmount's  house  to  offer  you  a 
bedroom  upstairs,  although  as  you  will  not 
31 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

give  a  parole  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  have 
a  guard  before  your  door." 

u  And  the  windows,  thanking  you,"  re 
marked  Kenneth,  ironically. 

u  Ah,  true,"  said  Tarleton,  smiling. 
"  But  we  can  put  you  in  the  attic  where,  if 
I  remember  this  house,  the  window  is 
small,  and  where  even  so  daring  a  man  as 
yourself  will  not  care  risking  a  broken 
leg  or  neck.  Is  that  satisfactory,  Captain 
Kenneth  ?  " 

Kenneth  had  been  watching  Banastre 
Tarleton  carefully,  in  a  quandary  about  the 
man.  With  his  small  stature,  his  boyish 
face,  he  appeared  very  young,  and  indeed 
at  this  time  he  was  but  twenty-six,  nine 
years  Kenneth's  junior.  Knowing  his 
readiness,  his  cleverness,  his  bravery,  our 
Captain  of  Armand's  admired  him.  He 
believed  the  stories  of  Tarleton's  needless 
cruelty  exaggerated,  although  there  might 
be  ground  for  thinking  that  several  times 
he  had  lost  his  temper,  and  been  carried 
on  to  excesses,  notably  at  Waxham.  But 
32 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Kenneth  remembered  another  occasion 
when  the  King's  Colonel  of  dragoons  had 
been  considerate  of  him. 

"  I  always  have  found  you  courteous, 
Colonel  Tarleton,  within  the  limits  of 
duty." 

"  And  I  you,  always  a  brave  man,"  said 
the  other. 

"  We  will  not  forget,  Captain  Kenneth, 
that  we  still  owe  you  dinner,"  said  Jervon. 

"  You  would  better  show  them  the  room, 
Dick,"  Charlotte  Jervon  said. 

Tarleton  was  at  the  door,  calling  a 
man  there,  and  telling  him  the  situation, 
Kenneth  surmised. 

"  You  will  not  forget  my  servant  in 
the  stable,"  Kenneth  called  back  from  the 
door. 

"  Humph,  Captain,"  Banastre  Tarleton 
answered,  "  you  forget  we  are  not  on  a 
ride  for  pleasure." 

"  Oh,    I    beg    pardon,"    said    Kenneth. 
They   had  been   courteous,  however ;   had 
not    even    asked    his    sword    and    pistols. 
3  33 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

cc  I  thank  you,  Colonel  Tarleton,  I  '11 
add." 

Banastre  Tarleton  smiled  again,  when 
his  dark  face  could  become  even  charm 
ing.  The  girl  still  by  the  hearth  watched 
Kenneth.  He  returned  her  stare  with  a 
contemptuous  smile,  and  turning  again 
went  into  the  hall  where  Captain  Jervon 
waited  candle  in  hand,  with  two  of  Tarle- 
ton's  dragoons. 

Jervon  very  civilly  said  good-night,  add 
ing  he  regretted  the  circumstance. 

"  You  doubtless  did  not  expect  to  meet 
king's  officers  so  far  up-country." 

"  Frankly  I  did  n't.  I  hope  you  '11  not 
forget  my  man." 

"  Nor  that  you  want  supper." 

Kenneth  heard  his  voice  to  the  man  in 
the  hall,  and  then  steps  creaking  on  the 
stair.  He  had  closed  the  door.  Kenneth 
could  hear  the  guards'  voices,  and  the  key 
turning.  He  looked  about  the  room,  a 
small  place,  with  a  great  fireplace,  filling 
nearly  one  side.  There  was  a  dormer 
34 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

window.  Looking  out  he  saw  only  black 
ness  and  the  wet  thrust  in  sheets  against  a 
rattling  sash.  The  flickering  candle  dis 
played  the  polished  floor,  two  chairs,  a 
table,  a  chiffonier,  a  high  square  bedstead, 
a  ticking  clock  in  a  corner. 

The  key  turned.  A  curtesying  black 
woman  with  a  tray  stood  in  the  door,  the 
tall  sergeant  of  Tarleton's  behind.  Ken 
neth  acknowledged  the  attention  for  he  was 
hungry.  A  dusty  bottle  of  red  wine  was 
creditable  to  the  Fairmount  cellar.  The 
servant  watched.  The  sergeant  grinned, 
but  did  not  attempt  conversation. 

And  the  two  passed  out ;  the  door  was 
locked  !  The  prisoner  could  hear  the  guard 
stumbling  outside. 

He  stretched  on  the  bed.  The  patter 
ing  rain  timed  his  thoughts  dismally. 
Banastre  Tarleton  probably  would  catch 
the  Virginian  Assembly  and  Governor  to 
morrow,  and  here  was  he,  Kenneth,  power 
less.  And  what  was  Lord  Cornwallis 
doing  against  the  Marquis  ?  he  asked 
35 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

himself  despondent  contrary  to  his  habit. 
And  then  he  thought  of  the  girl  who  had 
led  him  into  this  house,  against  her  will 
to  be  sure.  But  how  plainly  she  had 
feared  and  disliked  him.  She  was  fearful 
for  her  brother.  Yet  Kenneth  resented 
the  glibness  with  which  she  had  betrayed 
him  to  Colonel  Tarleton.  If  Tarleton 
were  bound  to  know,  that  gave  no  reason 
for  such  astonishing  eagerness.  She  cer 
tainly  was  the  most  detestable  girl  he  ever 
had  known.  The  Jervons,  eh  ?  Yes, 
they  were  an  old  family,  distinguished,  in 
Virginia  as  in  England,  as  arrantly  Tory 
as  Lord  Fairfax  himself,  or  as  Kenneth's 
Westchester  neighbor,  Colonel  Pierre 
De  Lancey. 

The  girl  was  very  pretty ;  yes,  charm 
ingly  spirited.  But  —  faugh!  he  had  no 
use  for  girls  who  disdained  him  !  And  he 
laughed  at  himself.  He  had  done  with 
women.  He  indeed  had  known  too  many 
to  his  regret.  How  that  wind  howled ! 
Ugh  !  he  was  in  a  predicament.  But 
36 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Banastre  Tarleton  had  acted  very  decently. 
How  fearfully  matters  were  going  !  They 
all  might  hang  from  Washington  down, 
—  those  not  killed  fighting.  And  how  was 
the  little  Marquis  ?  he  ended  by  asking 
again.  He  heard  the  guard  outside  swear 
ing.  The  wind  and  rain  rattled  the  pane ; 
there  was  a  whistling  down  the  chimney. 
Well,  he  was  out  of  the  weather.  But,  as 
that  fellow  Jacques  said  in  Shakespeare's 
play,  there  was  worse  than  rough  weather ; 
to  be  Banastre  Tarleton's  prisoner.  But 
that  girl's  reddish  hair,  and  dark  blue 
eyes,  and  mouth  !  —  How  tired  he  was  ; 
how  stiff  after  that  drenching.  As  his 
eyes  closed,  he  asked  another  question : 
How  did  it  chance  that  this  Jervon  had  not 
been  exchanged?  and  then  he  remembered 
special  charges  against  him,  which,  if  not 
tangible,  at  least  had  held  him  at  Char- 
lottesville. 


37 


Chapter    II. 

How  Captain  Kenneth  found  a  new 
use  for  a  large  chimney  ;  and  how 
Governor  Thomas  Jefferson  was 
bothered  when  seeking  a  quotation 
from  Horace. 

HE  must  have  slept  long ;  for,  despite 
his  last  intention  to  awake  at  dawn 
and  to  use  all  his  wit  for  means  of  escape, 
it  was  broad  daylight  of  the  morning  of 
June  13,  1781,  when  he  awoke.  At  first  he 
failed  to  remember  the  chain  of  circum 
stances  bringing  his  present  plight,  and  then 
he  recalled  all,  from  the  lost  road  to  the 
unexpected  appearance  of  Banastre  Tarle- 
ton.  Looking  from  the  dormer  window 
he  saw,  as  Tarleton  had  said  the  night  be 
fore,  that  he  dared  not  risk  the  drop  to  the 
ground,  while  almost  certainly  he  could  be 
picked  out  with  a  musket  by  any  one  pass- 

38 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ing  below.  From  previous  experience  in 
the  Carolinas  he  now  had  no  wish  to  test 
the  mettle  of  Colonel  Tarleton's  dragoons. 
The  sun  was  low  over  the  Eastern  hills ; 
the  landscape  lay  dripping  after  the  long 
storm.  With  the  clearing,  the  weather, 
which  yesterday  had  been  cold  for  a  Vir 
ginian  June,  had  turned  hot  again.  If  the 
night  before  Kenneth  had  been  at  a  loss  for 
his  bearings,  he  now  was  chagrined  at  this 
confusion.  For  the  hills  were  all  familiar ; 
he  knew  almost  every  inch  of  that  country. 
Charlottesville  was  not  eight  miles  away.  If 
he  had  but  kept  on  through  the  storm  he 
would  have  reached  it.  Now,  having 
turned  into  this  house,  he  was  Banastre 
Tarleton's  prisoner  on  a  raid  which  neither 
his  General,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  nor 
he  had  expected,  although  they  certainly 
should ;  anything  was  to  be  expected  of 
the  capable  Earl  Cornwallis ;  anything  of 
his  daringly  efficient  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

The  window  was  out  of  the  question, 
Kenneth  saw   now   clearly,  as    he    turned 
39 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

back  into  the  room.  Tiptoeing  to  it,  he 
tried  the  door  to  find  it  locked,  as  he 
had  expected;  while  he  heard  some  one 
moving  outside,  as  if  his  guard  were 
stretching  lazily ;  and  then  it  was  still, 
excepting  for  the  chirping  of  swallows  in 
the  chimney.  He  examined  that  chimney 
with  interest, 

This  was  a  square  structure  around 
which  the  house  had  been  built  perhaps 
seventy-five  years  before.  With  a  sudden 
idea  he  remembered  how  in  his  own  house 
in  Prince  William  was  a  similar  chimney, 
and  how  as  a  boy  he  had  climbed  it.  This 
was  even  larger  than  that  other.  But  the 
swallows  made  the  same  quarrelsome  twit 
ter  as  in  those  old  days,  and  he  laughed  at 
his  memories.  Then  he  was  on  his  knees 
on  the  hearth,  looking  toward  the  sky.  A 
bird  flew  across  the  blue.  He  could  see 
where  the  passage  from  below  met  that 
from  the  fireplace  where  he  knelt.  He 
was  a  large  man,  but  he  could  try.  The 
stones  irregularly  laid  gave  projections,  and 
40 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

he  was  sure  he  was  agile  enough  to  climb 
up  there  and  hide  if  he  could  do  no 
more.  Strangely  they  had  left  him  his 
sword  and  pistols,  he  remembered  again. 
Why  had  Banastre  Tarleton  omitted  the 
usual  attention  to  the  prisoner,  —  of  dis 
arming  him  ?  Possibly  this  was  because  of 
the  readiness  with  which  he  had  delivered 
the  Marquis'  dispatch  to  Governor  Jeffer 
son.  He  had  seen  he  must  take  his  capture 
gracefully.  Yet  the  omission  had  been 
unlike  the  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  Corn- 
wallis'  dragoons.  But,  having  his  weapons, 
he  wondered  whether  he  could  climb  the 
chimney  with  these  impediments.  At 
least,  when  luck  had  favored  him  so  unac 
countably  he  was  not  the  man  to  neglect 
its  advances. 

The  sun  already  higher,  the  house 
would  be  wakening;  and  he  must  hurry. 
Of  course  he  would  make  an  abominable 
noise,  but  he  must.  Slipping  on  his 
clothes  hurriedly,  taking  the  spurs  from 
his  boots,  and  buckling  the  sword  as 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

closely  as  he  could,  Kenneth  waited  for 
any  noise  in  the  house.  But  it  was 
still,  and  he  began. 

He  did  make  some  noise,  he  found, 
while  the  swallows  sharply  reproved  him. 
The  stones  gave  him  the  foothold  he 
had  expected,  and  laboriously  he  raised 
himself.  He  had  not  miscalculated  the 
size  of  the  aperture,  and  he  mounted 
foot  by  foot,  clinging  by  his  ringer  tips 
and  his  toes  to  every  jutting  stone.  Ten 
minutes  passed  before  he  found  himself, 
hot  and  breathing  hard,  astride  of  the  pro 
jection  separating  him  from  the  opening 
below.  Peering  down  this  he  saw  another 
line  of  separation  into  the  passage  to  the 
fireplace  on  the  first  floor,  and,  farther 
down,  the  straight  passage  ended  in  the 
blackening  logs  and  the  square  of  light 
showing  the  fireplace  probably  in  the 
great  room  on  the  ground  floor  where 
he  had  been  taken  prisoner.  He  rested 
for  some  moments  while  the  swallows 
whose  nests  he  had  disturbed  still  fluttered 
42 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

and  chirped  madly;  but  save  for  their 
noise  his  movement  apparently  had  been 
unobserved. 

Deciding  to  go,  if  he  could,  as  far  as  the 
ground  floor,  since  he  knew  the  way  out 
from  that  room,  carefully  with  aching  fin 
gers  and  toes  he  began  the  descent,  know 
ing  how  easy  it  was  to  fall.  Should  he 
slip,  he  certainly  would  have  broken  limbs, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  disappointment.  It 
seemed  hours  before,  hot  and  blackened, 
and  making  a  dreadful  uproar,  he  fancied 
he  found  himself  standing  on  the  little 
ledge  made  by  the  great  stones  above  the 
lower  fire-place.  Here  he  could  rest, 
although  in  a  most  uncomfortable  posi 
tion,  looking  down  on  the  charred  logs 
across  the  fire-dogs.  The  disturbance 
of  the  swallows  grew  less ;  the  house 
still  seemed  quiet,  and  he  was  only  hes 
itating  about  venturing  into  the  room. 
At  least  the  boyish  experiences  in  the 
house,  in  Prince  William,  had  stood  him 
in  good  stead;  but  he  was  blackened 
43 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

and  smothered,  and  the  heat  of  the  June 
morning  was  stifling  in  that  cramped 
place.  He  must  take  the  risk ;  and  then 
it  was  made  impossible  by  slamming  doors, 
footsteps,  and  voices.  The  door  oped 
into  the  room,  and  he  heard  Banastre 
Tarleton,  — 

"  We  '11  be  in  the  saddle  in  an  hour. 
I  go  straight  to  Charlottesville  after  what 
you  have  told  me ;  detaching  Captain 
McLeod  to  catch  Jefferson  at  Monticello." 

"  That  was  a  good  stroke  in  getting  the 
wagon  train,"  answered  Captain  Jervon. 

"Yes,  but  it'll  be  a  better  if  Colonel 
Simcoe  gets  hold  of  the  stores  at  The 
Fork,  and  frightens  away  that  hot-headed 
German,  Steuben." 

They  were  interrupted  by  hurried  steps. 

"  What  the  devil !  "  Tarleton  began. 

"  Colonel,  the  prisoner  is  n't  in  the 
room." 

"  What  d'  ye  mean  ?  He  could  n't  have 
gotten  away." 

"  He 's  gone." 

44 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Have  you  looked  under  the  bed  ?  up 
the  chimney  ? " 

"  Sir,  he  is  n't  in  either  place." 

u  Why,  he  had  n't  wings." 

"  He 's  gone,  sir,"  said  the  sergeant, 
stolidly. 

"  There 's  only  one  solution,"  answered 
Tarleton,  grimly.  u  Sergeant  Thorns, 
you're  under  arrest." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  came  a  sullen  answer. 

More  steps  followed,  and  then  Tarleton's 
voice,  — 

"  It  does  n't  much  matter ;  we  '11  get 
there  before  he  can,  —  with  our  horses. 
I  have  n't  any  time  to  look  him  up  when 
I  need  every  minute,  and  every  man." 

u  The  men  are  mounted,  sir." 

"  Come,  Captain  Jervon." 

u  Yes.  But  I  thought  I  heard  a  noise 
in  the  chimney." 

For  a  moment  Kenneth  trembled.  Was 
he  caught  again  ? 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Tarleton.  "  It 's  the 
swallows.  That  fellow  Thorns  is  the 
45 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

matter.  He 's  a  South  Carolinian  de 
serter.  I  've  told  His  Lordship  you  never 
can  tell  when  those  fellows  may  turn  tail. 
Come,  we  have  no  time." 

"  You  made  a  mistake  in  leaving  him 
his  sword  and  pistols,"  Jervon  observed. 

"  I  was  to  blame  for  that.  Humph,  I 
never  was  chicken-hearted  but  I  had 
cause  to  regret  it.  When  a  man's  a 
soldier,  —  particularly  in  a  civil  war,  — 
he  must  forget  even  that  he  is  a  gentle 
man,  —  or  else  he  will  be  most  terribly 
outwitted." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  commented 
Jervon,  ruefully. 

And  Kenneth  heard  their  retreating 
steps.  He  thought  he  would  cry  out 
with  the  painfulness  of  his  cramped  posi 
tion.  Every  muscle  ached.  He  heard 
the  rattle  of  the  trappings,  the  order,  and 
the  clatter  of  many  hoofs  ever  fainter. 
Now  he  would  take  his  risk.  But  first 
he  examined  as  best  he  could  the  prim 
ing  of  one  of  his  pistols,  and  it  was  with 
46 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

pistol  in  hand  that  he  stepped  down  onto 
the  hearth. 

If  he  had  been  seen,  he  must  have  pre 
sented  a  sufficiently  terrifying  spectacle, 
his  clothes  awry,  his  face  blackened. 

But  no  one  was  there. 

He  noticed  a  scarlet  coat  across  a  chair 
back.  If  he  were  not  mistaken  this  was 
the  very  coat  Captain  Jervon  had  worn 
the  day  before. 

"  Humph,  our  captain  changes  his  colors 
now  that  he  is  on  the  expedition  back  to 
Charlottesville." 

He  looked  at  his  own  dirtied  garment. 
If  he  wore  Captain  Jervon's,  the  color  and 
facings  might  be  of  service  should  he  fall 
in  with  Tarleton's  scouts.  He  tried  it. 

"  The  king's  livery  fits  me,"  he  was 
saying  aloud,  when  a  voice  interrupted, — 

"  Yes,  Captain  Kenneth." 

Turning  in  dismay,  he  saw  in  the  door 
the  detestable  young  woman  of  his  expe 
rience  the  night  before. 

"  You  can  go  now,"  she  said  calmly. 
47 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  have  no  desire  to  afford  you  further 
inconvenience." 

"  I  can't  say  I  'm  glad  to  meet  you 
again,"  he  retorted. 

"Spare  your  wit,  —  if  it  be  wit,"  she 
retorted.  "I  —  I  hate  you,"  and  she 
stamped  her  foot. 

"  I  can  understand  that  readily.  I  must 
appear  like  Othello,  —  without  his  skill 
with  the  sex." 

She  stepped  aside,  as  he  moved  toward 
the  door. 

"  For  having  tried  to  injure  me,"  he 
commented.  "  Good-by,  Miss  Jervon, 
and  no  thanks  for  your  hospitality." 

She  only  looked  at  him  disdainfully  out 
of  those  charming  eyes,  and  he  half  re 
gretted  his  attitude. 

"  It  is  dangerous  for  you  to  be  here 
alone,"  he  commented. 

"  How  did  you  know  ?  "  she  cried.  "  I 
can  take  care  of  myself,"  she  added. 

"  I   believe   you.     I    suppose   they   will 
stop  for  you  on  their  return." 
48 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

She  made  no  answer. 

u  I  don't  suppose  you  would  take  me 
for  a  guard  should  I  volunteer." 

He  noted  the  hair  that  had  been  so  dis 
ordered  the  night  before  now  was  neatly 
brushed.  She  looked  charming,  but  vix 
enish. 

"  I  could  n't  volunteer.  You  need  have 
no  fears,"  Kenneth  said;  and  remember 
ing  his  danger,  he  stepped  past  her,  and 
out  of  the  door,  stopping  but  to  bow  mock 
ingly,  and  carrying  with  him  a  picture  of 
her  standing  there,  as  he  went  out  into  the 
hot  June  sunshine  to  the  stable.  The  little 
black  hostler  of  the  night  before  stared 
with  fearful  question.  One  horse  was 
there,  and  to  his  delight  this  was  his  mare. 
Afterward  he  was  to  know  that  Finch's 
protestations  that  she  was  lamed  had  led 
to  this  stroke  of  fortune.  Saddles  and 
bridles  were  gone.  The  boy  chattered  at 
his  questions,  until  at  last  Kenneth  led  her 
out,  mounted  bare-back,  knowing  he  could 
guide  her  with  halter  and  hand. 
4  49 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Poor  girl,"  he  muttered,  for  he  loved 
this  animal  that  had  carried  him  far,  and 
among  many  desperate  affairs.  She  gave 
him  answer  with  her  knowing  brute's 
eyes ;  and  he  was  glad  that  shortly  the 
stiffness  passed  away,  and  that  she  sprang 
forward  with  her  old  spirit. 

One  purpose  was  clear,  and  that  to  get 
to  Monticello  before  Tarleton.  He  knew 
in  the  broad  day  every  road  of  this  coun 
tryside,  and  he  turned  into  an  unfrequented 
one  that  lay  much  nearer  than  the  one  he 
supposed  Tarleton  had  taken.  He  was 
right,  for  he  came  on  a  man  who  watched 
him  at  first  suspiciously. 

"  Have  you  seen  anything  of  the 
British  ? " 

"  Hem,  you  're  one,"  grunted  the  other. 

"  A  lamb  once  stole  a  wolf's  skin," 
said  Kenneth.  "  I  'm  from  General  de  la 
Fayette  to  the  Governor." 

He  risked  the   man's   politics ;  but  the 
country    people    had    small    taste    for  the 
marauds  made  in  the  king's  name. 
5° 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  Are  you  ?  "  answered  the  lank  Vir 
ginian.  "  I  know  ye  now,  Cap'n  Ken 
neth." 

"  Yes." 

"  They  've  been  beatin'  the  country, 
damn  'em  !  Last  night  they  took  a  wagon 
train  of  things  on  its  way  to  Ginr'l 
Gates." 

"  I  know  it." 

"  Now  they  've  stopped  at  the  Walkers. 
I  reckon  they  caught  there  Kernel  Simms, 
and  the  two  Mister  Nelsons." 

"  So  you  think  I  can  reach  Monticello 
before  them  ?  " 

u  By  hard  ridin',  Cap'n,  and  takin'  the 
back  road.  D  'ye  know  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Kenneth  called  back,  and  the 
mare  was  rushing  along  the  levels  and 
panting  up  the  slopes.  Yes,  her  stiffness 
had  gone. 

At  last,  over  the  slope,  Monticello  was 
sighted.  Throwing  his  halter  to  a  negro, 
he  hurried  in  without  announcing  himself. 
The  Governor  was  in  his  library  bend- 
Si 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ing   at    a   desk   strewn   with    papers    and 
books. 

This  was  that  now  famous  library  of 
Monticello  where  that  masterly  intelligence 
presided.  On  that  desk  were  written  the 
papers  informed  with  the  fine  reason. 
Yet,  the  June  morning  when  Kenneth 
entered  this  room,  the  reputation  of  the 
lord  of  Monticello  was  at  its  lowest.  For, 
as  his  warm  admirers  admit,  Jefferson  was 
poorest  when  war-governor  of  Virginia. 

"  You  will  be  taken,  sir,"  Kenneth  be 
gan  hastily. 

"  So  I  've  been  told,  Captain  Kenneth. 
The  Speaker  and  some  members  of  the 
assembly  have  been  frightened  away,  but 
I  wanted  to  consult  this  ode  of  Horace." 

Kenneth  never  knew  which  ode  (the 
Governor's  writings  may  tell),  for  a  servant 
interrupted. 

"The  British  are  winding  up  the  hill, 
sir." 

u  Perhaps  we  would  better  run  for  it, 
Kenneth." 

52 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  should,  sir,  if  I  were  you,"  said  Ken 
neth,  wondering. 

"  1  suppose  you  are  from  de  la  Fayette  ?  " 

"  My  General  needs  more  men." 

"  Humph,  as  if  I  did  n't  know  so 
much.  But  we  will  discuss  that  in  the 
saddle." 

He  mounted  in  the  same  leisurely  man 
ner,  knowing  he  had  twenty  minutes  before 
Tarleton's  troopers,  and  then  cautiously 
took  a  path  towards  Carter's  Mountain. 
Kenneth  deplored  that  his  mare  had  not 
had  more  rest. 

"  I  can  get  you  another,"  said  the 
Governor. 

"I  will  take  you  at  that,"  Kenneth 
assented,  "  if  you  '11  send  her  on  to  me.  I 
would  n't  part  with  that  mare  for  her 
weight  in  gold." 

"  You  are  the  true  Virginian  about  a 
horse  or  a  petticoat,  I  fancy.  But  what 
does  that  French  boy  General  think  I  can 
do  more  than  I  am  ?  " 

"  It 's  his  need,  sir." 
53 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"The  State's  need.  Do  you  think  they 
have  Virginia  well  in  hand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  still  —  " 

"  And  still  —  ?  What  more  can  I  do  ? 
I  have  resigned  as  governor,  but  they  won't 
appoint  a  successor,  and  so,  what  may  I 
do  ? " 

"  What  shall  I  tell  my  General  then  ?  " 
Kenneth  asked,  after  he  had  told  of  the 
adventure  depriving  him  of  the  "  little  " 
General's  letter. 

"  Heaven  knows,"  said  the  philosopher 
of  Monticello,  tersely.  "The  Marquis 
must  take  care  of  himself." 

If  he  and  the  Governor  escaped  to  Car 
ter's  Mountain,  Kenneth's  reflections  were 
gloomy  enough  after  this  interview.  He 
saw  there  was  no  other  course  than  that  of 
returning  with  no  satisfaction  to  offer.  He 
left  the  good  little  mare  that  had  done  him 
such  service,  riding  away  on  the  fresh  mount 
of  the  Governor's,  and  knowing  that  his 
General  was  probably  somewhere  in  Louisa 
County.  On  the  way  he  heard  that  Tarle- 
54 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ton  had  taken  several  members  of  the 
Assembly  at  Charlottesville,  and  had  seized 
a  thousand  new  muskets  and  four  hundred 
barrels  of  gunpowder  which  the  American 
cause  could  ill  afford  to  lose.  Many  from 
the  captive  army  of  Burgoyne  had  joined 
the  British  dragoons,  —  at  the  instigation  or 
Captain  Jervon,  Kenneth  decided.  Monti- 
cello  had  been  spared  ;  but  another  property 
of  Governor  Jefferson's,  Elk  Hill,  had  been 
plundered,  and  the  throats  of  the  young 
horses  cut.  The  country  people  cursed, 
telling  him  this. 

Kenneth  rode  along  wearily,  although  a 
dip  in  the  stream  had  refreshed  him  after 
that  dusty  flight  down  the  chimney  of 
the  Fairmount  House.  His  scarlet  coat, 
known  to  be  a  King's  uniform,  excited 
much  comment  and  some  fear.  Tarleton's 
troopers  had  left  these  country  folk  eager 
to  run  from  their  shadows. 

The  second  afternoon  he  heard  that  his 
General,  joined  by  General  Wayne  and  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  now  lodged  at  Boswell's 
55 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Tavern  in  Louisa,  which  Kenneth  reached 
at  sundown.  His  expedition  had  been 
fruitless,  and  had  left  him  minus  a  servant 
and  a  horse  that  suited  him.  He,  too,  had 
a  vivid  impression  of  a  young  woman  with 
reddish  hair,  as  well  as  of  a  frightful 
struggle  in  a  chimney.  He  entered  hur 
riedly  to  the  Marquis,  General  Wayne,  and 
Colonel  Mercer. 

"  What  is  your  report,  Captain  ?  "  asked 
the  youthful  General. 

"  Of  failure,  Your  Excellency." 

"  So  I  fancy  :  stores  taken,  —  cattle 
and  property  destroyed,  —  some  of  the 
Assembly  abducted  ;  I  have  heard,  Captain. 
Now  we  understand  they  are  moving  to 
seize  the  supplies  at  Albemarle  Old  Court 
House." 

An  aide-de-camp  entered. 

"Your  Excellency,"  he  cried,  "the 
scouts  bring  information  that  the  enemy's 
van  is  moving  under  Colonel  Tarleton  with 
the  plain  intention  of  attacking." 

"  Ah,  are  they  ?  "  asked  General  "  mad  " 
56 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Anthony  Wayne.    u  As  we  are  here  we  're 
in  a  pretty  enough  fix." 

"  I  'm  well  aware  of  it,  gentlemen,"  the 
youthful  leader  replied,  "  and  the  General- 
in-Chief  has  given  this  command  to  me,  — 
to  bring  it  out.  If  you  please,  we  won't 
give  up  yet.  Now,  Captain  Kenneth,  I 
believe  you  have  something  to  say." 


57 


Chapter    III. 

How  The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette, 
surprised  by  the  report  of  a  Ma 
noeuvre  of  the  Earl  of  Cornwallis, 
decided  from  Pursued  to  become 
Pursuer. 

JV^ENNETH  hesitated,  looking  at  the 
J- *-  earnest  faces  about  him  under  the 
candle  light, —  General  Wayne's,  Colonel 
Mercer's,  the  boyish  French  nobleman's. 

"  We  have  excellent  reason  to  think, 
General,  that  Colonel  Tarleton  has  been 
reinforced  by  Major  Needham's  Seventy- 
Sixth  Regiment,"  added  the  aide-de-camp. 

"  Le  Diable  !  "  said  the  Marquis,  ner 
vously.  "  What  more  ?  " 

"  They  wish  to  force  us  to  a  battle, 
or  to  abandon  the  stores  at  Albemarle," 
said  Colonel  Mercer.  "  I  don't  see  but 

58 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

that  we  shall  have  to  do  one  or  the 
other." 

"  You  have  asked  me,  sir,"  said  Ken 
neth,  quietly ;  "  if  you  will  allow  me,  there 
is  a  chance." 

"  What  kind  of  one,  Captain  ?  Yes,  I 
indeed  asked  you.  We  have  been  joined 
by  some  of  the  mountain  militia ;  but  what 
are  these  few  against  such  a  force,  so  well 
disciplined  ?  If  we  had  Baron  Steuben's 
contingent !  But  as  well  as  we  can  find 
out  the  Baron  is  running  from  his  fear 
which  he  saw  in  the  shape  of  Colonel 
Simcoe  at  The  Fork.  Now,  to  be  honest, 
I  am  for  retreating  again.  I  don't  dare 
risk  a  battle,  any  more  than  a  week  ago, 
before  we  had  General  Wayne's  good 
help." 

He  spoke  rapidly,  for  by  this  time  he 
had  learned  his  English,  earlier  as  much 
an  object  of  derision  as  the  General-in- 
ChiePs  attachment.  Now  the  army,  like 
our  Captain  of  Armand's,  had  veered  to 
His  Excellency's  opinion.  In  making  de 
59 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

la  Fayette  a  major-general  over  American 
veterans,  the  astute  Chief  had  been  flatter 
ing  a  nation.  The  French  treaty  later 
justified  him;  and  until  now,  here  in  Vir 
ginia  against  odds,  the  "little"  Marquis, 
as  they  had  begun  to  style  him  fondly, 
was  giving  reason  for  Washington's  con 
fidence  in  his  military  ability.  But  now 
the  Marquis  fairly  was  cornered ;  he  either 
had  to  fight  or  to  leave  the  valuable  stores 
at  Albemarle  Old  Court  House  to  be 
destroyed,  as  those  at  Charlottesville  and 
The ,  Fork,  and  earlier  at  Westham  and 
Richmond,  had  been.  Was  he  to  fail  after 
all?  Had  he  been  schooling  himself  all 
in  vain  to  restrain  his  natural  impetuosity, 
which  had  longed  for  a  fight  ? 

"  You  have  forgotten  one  thing,"  ob 
served  the  Captain  of  Armand's. 

"  We  have,  —  nothing,"  cried  Wayne, 
angrily,  at  this  impertinent  cavalry  captain. 

"  I  have  been  asked  my  opinion,"  Ken 
neth  went  on  with  what  self-control  he 
could  muster.  "  And  if  the  General  will 
60 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

allow,  I   will  venture  it :    that  we  should 
retreat." 

"  There  is  nothing  new  in  that  opinion," 
even  Colonel  Mercer  sneered. 

"  But  this  is  a  retreat  to  a  position  be 
tween  the  enemy  and  the  stores,  where  he 
dare  not  attack." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  There  's  an  abandoned  road  that  can 
bring  us  to  a  point  in  Colonel  Tarleton's 
rear,  if  we  act  at  once,"  Kenneth  con 
tinued  now  excitedly.  He  easily  lost  that 
readily  mustered  self-control. 

"  You  have  been  studying  the  General- 
in-ChiePs  favorite  tactics,"  observed 
Wayne,  who  ever  preferred  the  fight  to 
the  retreat. 

"  I  confess  that  I  could  not  have  had  a 
better  master,  sir,"  retorted  the  Captain  of 
Armand's  remnant. 

"  By  Heavens,  Captain,  you  could  n't," 
interrupted  the  "  little  "  General,  impetu 
ously.     "  We  '11  do  that   very   thing  you 
advise.     Pass  the   orders." 
61 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

And  then  it  was  all  bustling.  If  Ken 
neth  were  weary  with  his  ride,  made  longer 
by  his  need  of  avoiding  the  enemy's  posts, 
he  now  was  at  this  night's  work.  He  de 
clared,  in  telling  the  story  of  the  retreat, 
that,  strong  as  he  was,  he  believed  he  would 
have  given  out  had  it  not  been  for  the  good 
toddy  of  the  landlady  of  Boswell's. 

The  activity  of  their  recent  movements 
had  made  that  little  army  ready  for  any 
sudden  manoeuvre ;  and  soon  they  were 
all  laboring  over  the  road.  It  was  rough 
and  narrow,  overgrown  with  thickets, 
worse  indeed  than  most  Virginian  roads 
even  in  the  experience  of  de  la  Fayette's 
artillery  officers,  who  at  dawn  encouraged 
the  tugging  horses  at  the  guns.  Kenneth 
as  being  in  some  sense  the  projector  of  the 
enterprise  was  everywhere  ;  the  tall,  boyish 
leader  at  his  elbow.  There  was  danger 
enough  if  the  enemy  had  known  ;  but  by 
noon  the  next  June  day,  Colonel  Tarleton's 
scouts  brought  him  the  news  that  the 
"  Boy  "  had  escaped  this  time ;  that  the  new 
62 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

position  on  Mechunck  Creek  was  before 
the  coveted  stores,  and  that  it  could  not 
be  taken  without  the  bloodiest  of  uncer 
tain  struggles.  In  addition  he  heard  that 
Baron  Steuben  had  recovered  from  his 
recent  fright  at  Colonel  Simcoe,  and  that 
his  junction  with  de  la  Fayette  could  not 
be  prevented.  Tarleton  bore  this  news 
himself  to  Lord  Cornwallis  whom  he 
found  in  much  perplexity  over  a  commu 
nication  he  just  had  had  from  Sir  Henry 
Clinton. 

In  the  mean  time,  all  these  things  having 
been  done,  and  his  General's  force  increased 
by  Colonel  Campbell's  men,  our  Captain  of 
Armand's  remnant  was  sleeping  in  the 
grass  under  the  June  sun,  his  scarlet  coat 
hid  by  a  blanket.  So  fagged  was  he  that 
his  orderly  hardly  could  arouse  him,  which, 
indeed,  was  unusual  of  so  experienced  a 
campaigner,  habituated  to  sleep  with  one 
eye  open. 

"  Captain  !  "  cried  the  orderly  again  ; 
"  Captain !  "  until  Kenneth  rubbed  his 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

eyes,  and  was  aware  that  the  afternoon  sun 
had  brought  the  shady  spot  of  his  choice 
into  its  glare. 

"  How  long  have  I  slept  ?  " 

"  Two  hours." 

"  What !  I  miss  that  rascal,  Finch.  I 
suppose  he  is  serving  some  King's  officer. 
Well,  what  is  it,  Brooke  ?  " 

"  Prisoners." 

u  Eh,"  said  Captain  Kenneth,  on  his 
feet  now.  "  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"  A  corporal,  and  three  privates  of  Sim- 
coe's,  escorting  a  young  lady,  sir." 

Our  Captain  now  was  by  Brooke's  side, 
taking  long  strides,  the  sunshine  bringing 
out  all  the  faded  colors  of  the  scarlet 
coat  that  had  served  under  Burgoyne. 
About  a  turn  he  came  on  a  familiar 
face,  now  tired  and  petulant,  of  the  girl 
of  his  adventure  when  on  his  way  to 
Governor  Jefferson.  She,  too,  saw  him 
with  surprise,  and  still  in  her  brother's 
coat. 

"  I  am  caught,"  she  announced. 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Our  positions  are  reversed,"  said  Ken 
neth,  with  mock  solemnity. 

"And  I  can  go  no  farther  ?  It 's 
necessity." 

"  It 's  war,  I  am  afraid,  Miss  Jervon, 
and  your  escort  took  the  wrong  road." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said,  with  vexatious 
tears.  "  Captain  Jervon,  my  brother,  and 
Lord  Cornwallis,  too,  insisted  it  was  safer 
for  me  to  be  sent  back." 

"  It  seems  then  that  His  Lordship  is  a 
bit  afraid  of  us." 

"  Not  of  rebels,  sir,"  the  girl  retorted ; 
"  but  for  me,  because  unfortunately  I  am 
a  woman." 

"  His  Lordship  was  right,"  said  Ken 
neth.  "And  I  will  say  that  in  the  dis 
ordered  state  of  the  country  you  were  very 
daring  in  leaving  Jervon  House.  It  seems," 
he  could  not  resist  adding,  "  Captain 
Jervon  turned  from  prisoner-of-war  to 
belligerent." 

"  My  brother,  sir,"  said  Charlotte  Jer 
von,  with  all  the  dignity  she  could  sum- 
5  65 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

mon,  u  has  been  too  long  inactive  not  to 
wish  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  help  put 
down  this  rebellion." 

"This  revolution,"  smiled  Kenneth. 
"  Oh,  I  beg  pardon  ;  it 's  a  question  of  defi 
nition  and  success.  But  I  must  say  that  I 
don't  understand  the  policy  at  head-quarters 
which  exchanged  a  British  officer  and  turned 
him  into  a  belligerent  here  in  Virginia." 

"  It  was  lucky,"  said  the  girl  from  her 
point  of  view,  smiling  triumphantly. 

"  But  one  thing,  Miss  Jervon,  you  must 
excuse  me  saying,  and  that  is  I  didn't 
exactly  like  the  way  your  brother  put  on 
his  scarlet  coat  to  meet  Banastre  Tarleton, 
and  then  doffed  it  when  he  went  back  to 
Charlottesville.  Does  n't  that  appear  to 
you  like  a  spy's  part  ?  "  * 

"  I  would  have  you  know,  sir,  there  is 
no  spying  against  rebels.  Everything  is 
fair." 

u  So  John  Andre  thought." 

"  Do  you  mean,"  she  began  paling,  and 
he  was  angry  with  himself  for  the  luck- 
66 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

less   expression  his   former  pique  had  led 
him  to. 

"  Forgive  me,  Miss  Jervon,"  he  cried, 
"I'm  a  lout." 

"  I  don't  care  what  you  think,"  she  said, 
proudly.  "  I  notice  you  still  wear  my 
brother's  coat." 

u  To  tell  the  truth,  Miss  Jervon,  we 
warriors  of  Congress  are  a  ragged  lot,  and 
since  I  left  my  soot-colored  coat  at  Mr. 
Fairmount's,  I  really  haven't  another  in 
my  wardrobe." 

"  Oh,  you  are  welcome  to  that,  if  such 
is  the  case,"  said  Miss  Jervon,  condescend 
ingly  enough.  "  But  I  must  get  on  my 
way.  Surely  they  can't  object  to  that  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  the  Marquis  would  be  the 
last  person  to  ;  but  unfortunately  your  es 
cort  will  be  detained,  and  you  can't  go  on 
alone." 

"  I  can ;  and  I  will." 

"  Oh,  but  you  won't,"  Kenneth  inter 
rupted.  "  I  am  sorry  your  men  were  so 
unlucky  as  to  take  the  road  they  did,  which 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

they  probably  thought  led  to  the  quieter 
country.  It  did,  until  we  held  this 
position." 

"  I  must  go.  My  brother  will  worry 
to  death.  Can't  you  help  me  ?  "  Her 
manner  all  at  once  changed,  and  she 
faced  him  as  coaxingly  as  before  she  had 
disdainfully. 

A  sudden  idea  occurred  to  Kenneth. 
He  wondered  that  it  could.  It  was  so 
preposterous.  Yet,  the  girl  should  have 
protection;  should  be  out  of  the  way  of 
the  armies.  Surely  that  was  but  common 
humanity. 

"  I  will  do  what  I  can,  Miss  Jervon," 
he  said.  "  Now  I  will  lay  the  case  before 
my  General,  as  favorably  as  I  may." 

"  I  shall  believe  you  when  I  hear  the 
result,"  she  called  after ;  but  Kenneth  did 
not  change  the  idea  on  which  he  now  was 
acting.  He  must  not  let  the  girl's  dislike 
influence  him.  And  this  was  a  queer 
notion.  Did  it  come  from  the  scarlet  coat 
he  was  wearing  ? 

68 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

At  head-quarters  he  found  the  greatest 
perplexity. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  he  asked. 
-   "  His  Lordship  is  retreating." 

"  It  can't  be,"  he  cried.  "  It 's  not  like 
Cornwallis.  How  do  you  account  for  it, 
when  if  he  persevered  he  surely  in  the  end 
would  cut  us  to  pieces  ?  " 

"  No,  it 's  not  like  him.  In  fact,  it 
is  n't  my  Lord  at  all." 

"  You  mean  it  is  Sir  Henry's  order  ?  " 

"  Exactly,"  Mercer  replied  ;  "  Corn 
wallis'  commander-in-chief's  idea." 

"  If  that  be  the  case,"  the  General  said, 
"  I  've  decided  what  we  will  do." 

"  And  that  is  ?  " 

"  From  pursued,  turn  pursuers,  keeping 
ten  or  twenty  miles  in  his  rear." 

"  Perhaps  the  tables  are  turning,"  cried 
General  Wayne,  kindling.  "  I  agree  with 
you,  General  de  la  Fayette." 

And  while  they  talked  the  orders  were 
passed  to  break  camp. 

"  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  ?  "  Captain  Ken- 
69 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

neth  said,  when  he  could  get  the  General's 
ear. 

"  Anything,  Captain,  after  last  night.  I 
have  recommended  your  promotion,  you 
may  like  to  know." 

"I  thank  you  for  it,"  said  Kenneth, 
"  much.  But  what  I  wish  is  leave." 

"  Leave  ?     Now  ?  " 

"  It 's  this."  He  ran  over  the  circum 
stance  of  the  captured  escort,  —  of  the 
young  lady.  "  It 's  better  she  should  be 
removed  to  a  place  of  safety.  I  want  to 
take  her  there.  I  know  the  country  well 
enough  to  do  it.  You  simply  will  lose 
one  poor  troop  captain." 

"  For  a  week,  say  ?  "  mused  the  Marquis. 
u  I  suppose  she  is  pretty,"  he  added  with  a 
smile. 

"  That 's  not  the  point,  Your  Excellency. 
She  's  a  woman,  who  hates  me  —  " 

"  1  can  't  believe  it,  Captain." 

"  And  yet  she  is  a  woman,  while  even 
if  of  the  other  side  she  is  of  one  of  the 
important  Virginian  families." 
70 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  We  must  conciliate  such  a  family  ?  " 

11 1  should  n't  ask  it,  if  I  did  n't  think  so." 

"  Well,  go  then,"  said  de  la  Fayette 
now,  gravely.  "  Of  course  we  can 't  give 
the  prisoners  taken  with  her  a  chance  to 
run.  But,  mind  you,  be  back,  Captain,  as 
soon  as  you  can." 

u  You  know  I  certainly  will." 

u  And  I  won't  forget  my  recommendation 
for  your  promotion." 

"  I  thank  Your  Excellency,"  said  Kenneth, 
"much." 

When  some  minutes  after  he  rejoined 
Miss  Jervon,  he  said, — 

"  The  General  has  granted  your  re 
quest." 

"  Oh,  that 's  good  of  him." 

"  But  with  an  escort." 

"  Well,  perhaps  that  is  better." 

u  But  of  only  one  man." 

"  I  am  sure  one  will  be  better  than  none 
if  he  is  a  person  to  be  trusted." 

"  Of  that  you  must  be  the  judge,  Miss 
Jervon ;  I  chance  to  be  he." 
71 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  ?  "  she  began,  blushing.  "  You  ? 
Impossible  !  I  won't  go  with  you." 

"  You  must,  —  or  not  at  all." 

u  If  that  is  the  case  —  " 

"  You  will  ?  " 

"  Yes,  —  I  will.  I  am  obliged,  Captain 
Kenneth."  But  she  turned  her  back  on 
him,  and  her  tone  was  disdainful. 

"  Brooke  !  "  said  Kenneth,  "  order  my 
horse,  —  at  once.  I  am  rather  bothered, 
Miss  Jervon,  at  the  Joss  of  my  servant.  I 
have  to  pass  some  orders  about  my  com 
mand,  and  then  we  can  start." 

But  she  still  stood  with  her  back  turned. 

What  a  fool  he  was,  he  reflected,  to  do 
this  for  such  a  vixen.  It  must  be  this 
abominable  scarlet  coat  had  affected  his 
brain. 


72 


Chapter  IV. 

How  Captain  Kenneth  acted  as  Miss 
Jervon's  escort ;  how  at  a  certain 
Tavern  on  the  road  he  defended 
his  General  against  the  charges  of 
a  member  of  the  Virginian  Assem 
bly  ;  and  how  he  again  joined  the 
Marquis  at  New  Kent  Court 
House. 

WHEN  Kenneth  returned  again  from 
his  errand,  Charlotte  Jervon  still 
kept  her  surprising  silence.  She  leaped 
lightly  into  her  saddle,  and  neither  saying 
a  word,  they  were  well  out  of  the  camp  on 
the  same  old  road  the  army  had  taken  in 
the  manoeuvre  from  BoswelPs,  —  a  way 
"  that  goes  by  the  name  of  the  Marquis'  road 
to  this  day,"  says  Burke's  "  Virginia." 

"  We  have  many  miles  to  cover  and  it  is 
rather  late,"  said  Kenneth  at  last.     "  The 
73 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

road  is  so  bad  that  we  would  better  hurry 
when  we  can." 

"  I  have  no  objection,"  said  she,  and 
they  cantered,  to  find  themselves  brought 
to  a  walk  by  the  rough  ground.  They  now 
were  turned  into  a  forest  path,  and  Kenneth 
counted  that  soon  they  would  be  out  of 
reach  of  either  army.  Until  that  moment 
he  felt  his  fear  would  continue,  for  he  knew 
there  were  stragglers,  and  that  disturbed 
Virginia  now  was  quite  as  dangerous  as 
parts  of  Jersey  and  New  York  had  been. 

Possibly  he  was  piqued  by  his  com 
panion's  silence  ;  for  he  said,  — 

"  I  see  that  you  find  me  an  unwelcome 
escort;  but  you  know  I  had  no  other 
course." 

"  To  the  contrary,  you  wrong  me,"  she 
said  almost  humbly.  "  It  really  is  very 
good  of  you,  Captain  Kenneth,  —  after 
the  treatment  you  had  at  our  hands." 

"  Oh,  don't  mind  that.  It  is  war  time, 
you  know.  Did  n't  I  seize  your  brother's 
coat  as  eagerly  as  Banastre  Tarleton  did 
74 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

my  dispatch  to  the  Governor  ?  Much 
good  did  it  do  him,  I  think,"  Kenneth 
ended. 

"  But  what  you  said  about  the  loss  of 
your  servant  made  me  feel  responsible." 

"  And  my  mare,  too.  Oh,  I  can't 
blame  you  for  her  loss.  My  own  hard 
riding  did  that,  and  I  suppose  Governor 
Jefferson  is  giving  her  the  best  care." 

u  And  then  —  to  add  to  all  this  —  you 
are  leaving  your  duty  —  to  escort  a  rattle 
brained  girl.  I  don't  know  why." 

"  I  may  be  trying  to  win  a  Tory  —  to 
my  way  of  thought." 

"  And  you  '11  have  your  trouble  for  your 
pains,  Captain  Kenneth,  I  am  afraid. 
The  Colonies  will  have  to  give  up  very 
soon." 

"  Well,  I  will  confess,  it  looks  badly. 
This  State  seems  to  be  at  your  mercy  cer 
tainly.  It  may  be  that  I  am  trying  to  curry 
favor  with  a  probable  victor." 

"  You  indeed  shall  have  it,"  com 
mented  Charlotte  Jervon.  u  But  still,  to 
75 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

be  in  earnest,  I  feel  you  have  put  me  under 
obligation,  —  I  do  really ;  and  that  I  have 
been  selfish  in  permitting  you  to  come  with 
me." 

"  Oh,  we  '11  not  mind  apologies,  —  one 
way  or  the  other,  Miss  Jervon.  I  'm  your 
escort  until  I  may  hand  you  over  to  your 
friends.  If  you  don't  mind  we  will  say- 
nothing  more  about  it.  Besides  —  " 

But  he  stopped  here. 

"Well,  before  we  change  the  subject, 
do  let  me  know  what  you  are  beginning 
with  that  '  Besides '  ?  " 

"  It  would  have  been  abominable  to 
have  left  you  alone.  You  could  n't  have 
stayed  in  camp.  I  did  n't  care  risking 
sending  you  over  to  Lord  Cornwallis.  I 
wonder  now  —  " 

"What?" 

"  Why  the  Marquis  did  n't  suggest  me 
doing  that  instead  of  going  on  this  longer 
ride  ?  " 

"  Well,  why  did  n't  you  ?  —  why  don't 
you  ?     It  is  n't  too  late." 
76 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  Because  I  think  it  will  be  safer  for  you 
to  go  directly  to  the  sea-board.  If  you 
did  reach  the  British  lines,  the  two  armies 
are  moving  about  so  fast,  that  you  would  n't 
be  safe." 

"  And  what  difference  is  that  to  you  ?  " 

Here  was  the  question  direct  which 
Kenneth  could  not  quite  answer  himself. 
He  had  said  to  himself  that  there  was 
some  occult  influence  from  the  scarlet  coat ; 
and  that  it  was  but  common  humanity, 
which  was  reasonable  enough. 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  finally,  "  I  know  if  you 
were  my  sister,  I  should  feel  in  some  way 
responsible  for  your  safety.  I  know  this 
country,  too,  better  perhaps  than  many 
others." 

"  It  is  extraordinary  of  you,"  commented 
the  young  lady,  coldly. 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  Kenneth  ^interrupted 
stolidly.  "Any  one  would  have  done  as 
much.  The  Marquis  himself  approved 
my  course.  What  I  don't  quite  see  —  ?  " 
He  hesitated  again. 

77 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"Well?" 

"  If  you  will  know,"  he  went  on,  "  I 
don't  quite  understand  Captain  Jervon  per 
mitting  you  to  go  to  Fairmount's  to  meet 
him.  He  must  have  known  of  the  state 
of  the  country." 

"  Oh,  you  need  n't  think  he  permitted 
it,"  cried  Charlotte  Jervon.  "I  asked  no 
one's  leave.  I  am  living  with  my  uncle, 
Captain  Kenneth.  I  left  even  without 
his  permission.  He  is  very  old,  and  ill. 
I  don't  believe  any  one  could  have  been 
more  surprised  than  my  brother  when  he 
saw  me  in  Charlottesville." 

"  You  met  him  there  ?  I  did  n't  under 
stand  that." 

"  Yes.  I  had  the  permission  of  Mr. 
Fairmount  to  lodge  at  his  house.  He 
is  in  Petersburg  as  you  know,  but  then 
he  was  persuaded  when  I  wrote  him 
telling  him  that  Dick  and  I  might  want 
to  use  his  house.  He  is  a  kind  of 
third  cousin  of  ours.  Possibly  you  know 
him." 

78 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  He  knew  you  were  going  to  Charlottes- 
ville  ? " 

"  No,  he  didn't  believe  I  would  go.  I 
don't  suppose  he  would  have  been  so  ready, 
had  he.  I  started  out  by  myself,  with  a 
single  servant,  —  the  black  boy  Jock  you 
saw,  Captain  Kenneth.  Do  you  remem 
ber  ?  " 

"Very  well  indeed." 

u  I  did  n't  know  exactly  how  I  should 
do  it;  but  I  reached  Lord  Cornwallis, 
who  was  very  nice.  He  said  he  admired 
my  spirit,  —  by  way  of  being  gallant,  I 
suppose." 

u  So  did  I,  —  when  you  betrayed  me  so 
anxiously  to  Colonel  Tarleton." 

u  Oh,  you  must  forgive  me  that.  I 
want  you  to,  since  you  have  put  me  under 
obligation.  Before  that  I  didn't  care 
particularly." 

u  And  you  do  now  ?  " 

"  I  hope  you  don't  think  me  so  rude 
a  girl  as  not  to  appreciate  your  most 
polite  attentions.  If  I  did  speak  out 
79 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

that  day,  I  was  nervous  about  Dick  Jer- 
von." 

"  Oh,  I  understood  that  perfectly,"  Ken 
neth  said.  "  I  hope  you  don't  think  I 
did  n't,  —  at  least  now." 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  do.  And  to  continue 
my  story,  Lord  Cornwallis  knew  my  uncle, 
Surdam  Jervon,  very  well.  He  knew  our 
family  in  England,  too.  And  then  Colonel 
Tarleton  helped.  I  think  him  very  nice, 
don't  you?" 

"  Humph,  he 's  a  capable  cavalry  of 
ficer." 

"  Well,  I  don't  suppose  we  can  agree 
exactly  about  people,  being  on  different 
sides." 

"  No,  we  can't  expect  that." 

"  But  Colonel  Tarleton  is  a  very  inter 
esting  man,  really,  although  he  is  rather 
too  stout,  I  think.  He  reminds  me  a  bit 
of  my  cousin,  Jerome  Fairmount.  You 
said  you  knew  Jerome.  He  is  a  tall  man, 
where  Colonel  Tarleton  is  so  short,  you 
know ;  and  he  has  taken  no  active  side  in 
80 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

the  trouble,  although  he  will  now,  I  think ; 
but  their  features  are  rather  like." 

"  I  have  heard  that  Mr.  Fairmount  is 
politic." 

"  He  has  a  great  estate,  Captain  Ken 
neth,  which  he  doesn't  care  risking,  al 
though  as  every  one  knows,  his  sympathies 
are  with  the  King.  Now  he  is  doing  all  he 
can  to  help  Lord  Cornwallis." 

"  So  it  has  been  reported,  —  to  us.  Pos 
sibly  he  may  profit." 

"  Oh,  of  course  he  will.  Mind  you,  I 
don't  admire  his  prudence.  I  like  a  man 
decided,  —  like  my  poor  brother,  who  has 
worn  out  his  heart  while  a  prisoner  at 
Charlottesville.  But  Jerome  would  have 
permitted  my  journey  no  more  than  my 
uncle.  He  did  n't  fancy  I  would  take 
it." 

"  I  suppose  he  has  a  right,  then,  —  to 
permit,  and  to  forbid." 

He  thought  she  reddened ;  but  it  may 
have  been  the  exercise,  and  the  heat,  —  the 
afternoon  having  fallen  very  hot. 
6  81 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"Yes,  Captain  Kenneth,  he  has." 

Kenneth  remembered  the  man  distinctly 
now,  and  that  he  had  disliked  him  in  the 
old  days.  He,  however,  had  small  respect 
for  the  considerable  number  of  persons  who 
waited  the  end  of  the  contest  without  tak 
ing  the  risk  of  partisanship. 

"Well,"  continued  Charlotte  Jervon. 
"  You  know  about  the  rest.  To  make  a 
long  story  short,  I  reached  Charlottesville ; 
and  you  knocked  at  my  cousin  Fairmount's 
door  that  night  when  my  brother  and  I 
were  expecting  Colonel  Tarleton.  If  I 
were  rude,  you  frightened  me  half  to  death. 
You  were  n't  wearing  a  coat  of  the  right 
color,  you  know." 

"  And  I  am  now  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid,  Captain  Kenneth,  that 
it 's  only  coat.  I  suspect  you  are  as  in 
corrigible  a  rebel  as  ever." 

If  he  made  a  jesting  retort,  he  was  not 

quite  so  sure~of  this  himself.     The  scarlet 

coat,   while   certainly   not   influencing    his 

opinions,    had    made    him     act     strangely 

82 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

enough  indeed  as  Miss  Jervon's  escort. 
Was  he  falling  into  one  of  the  old  sus 
ceptible  moods  of  his  discarded  youth  ? 
But  it  did  not  pay  to  ponder  too  much 
so  perplexing  a  question. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  acquaintance 
ship  from  that  long  ride  on  lonely  roads 
drove  questions  out  of  Kenneth's  mind. 
It  was  inevitable  that  he  should  come  to 
know  Charlotte  Jervon  rather  better,  and 
that  he  should  begin  to  believe  his  presence 
as  her  escort  as  a  logical  sequence.  That 
part  of  Virginia  was  sparsely  populated 
in  those  days;  and  on  the  long  miles 
they  talked  together  without  a  single  in 
terruption  save  that  their  own  moods 
might  make.  The  late  afternoon  was 
hot  enough  certainly ;  and  yet  it  was 
serenely  beautiful  in  the  tangled,  fragrant 
woods,  or  by  the  blossom-strewn  mead 
ows.  Now  and  then  a  squirrel  or  rab 
bit,  and  once  a  deer,  scampered  across  the 
road. 

But  all  they  did  I  cannot  record  herej 

83 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

for  it  certainly  is  obvious  from  that  already 
said.  Our  officer  of  Armand's  remnant 
was  at  his  best,  and  Charlotte  Jervon  for 
got  that  she  was  talking  with  an  enemy. 
They  wandered  on  from  subject  to  subject 
until  they  came  to  the  understanding  of 
acquaintance. 

Kenneth  had  calculated  on  reaching 
Brillwood's  wayside  house  in  that  wild  land. 
That  would  necessitate  a  ride  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  which  were  rather  difficult  on 
account  of  the  unfrequented  roads  he  felt  it 
prudent  to  follow.  And,  indeed,  it  was  past 
sundown  when  he  made  sure  that  the  inn 
was  only  a  mile  distant.  His  companion 
now  was  silent,  —  out  of  utter  weariness 
he  knew,  and  he  felt  much  concern  over 
the  last  mile  through  the  thick  forest,  where 
it  already  was  dark.  He  rode  close  to  her, 
encouraging  her,  as  he  felt  only  his  duty, 
with  now  and  then  a  word,  to  which  she 
responded  wearily.  Their  horses,  too, 
were  fagged;  and  delightedly  he  saw  the 
inn. 

84 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  may  see  the  lights  of  Brillwood's," 
he  said  then ;  "  our  first  stop.  I  hope, 
Miss  Jervon,  that  this  rough  ride  has  not 
been  too  hard  for  you." 

"  Oh,  really,"  she  answered,  looking  at 
him  in  the  twilight  of  the  Virginian  June, 
"  I  have  not  been  so  displeased  with  you 
as  I  might  have  fancied." 

"  Did  you  then  think  you  would  be  ?  " 
he  began,  laughingly. 

"  Well,  I  did,  frankly,  Captain  Kenneth. 
I  never  am  quite  sure  about  those  officers 
who  are  —  " 

"  Rebels." 
,     "Well,  yes." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Kenneth.  "  But  I 
am  sure  you  will  not  be  vexed  to  have 
reached  the  end  of  to-day's  journey." 

Kenneth  did  not  express  his  own  fear 
that  Brillwood's  might  have  changed ;  al 
though,  as  it  was  so  far  out  of  the  lines  of 
the  armies,  he  hoped  that  it  might  not  have 
been  disturbed  by  the  events  which  had 
led  most  of  the  men  to  shoulder  their  mus- 
85 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

kets,  if  indeed  Brillwood  were  not  covertly 
a  Tory. 

He  was  reassured  by  the  black  stable- 
boy,  and  by  the  fat,  red-complexioned 
woman  at  the  door. 

u  Oh,  Captain  Kenneth,"  she  cried, 
remembering  the  other  days  when  he  had 
hunted  there.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you, 
and  the  young  lady  — "  She  looked  at 
him  inquiringly,  as  if  she  knew  not  whether 
to  congratulate  him  on  a  certain  event ;  but 
ended  by  courtesying,  for  she  recognized  the 
gentry,  while  Kenneth  explained  that  he 
asked  her  best  accommodation. 

"  Ye  shall  have  it,  sir,  as  your  name  is 
Kenneth.  Brillwood  is  n't  here,  having 
gone  with  General  Campbell  to  join  the 
Marquis." 

"  I  am  from  General  la  Fayette,"  Ken 
neth  explained.  "  The  young  lady  I  am 
escorting  is  Miss  Jervon." 

"  Of  the  Jervons  ?  "  said  the  landlady, 
courtesying  again.  "  I  am  glad  of  the  op 
portunity,  Miss." 

86 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Mrs.  Brillwood  proved  by  the  dinner 
that  she  counted  this  an  occasion.  He 
never  forgot  the  rude  hospitality,  although 
many  things  were  to  intervene  between  him 
and  that  quiet  time.  Charlotte  Jervon  was 
there  opposite.  They  talked  indeed  like 
old  acquaintances  ;  and  then  she  bade  him 
good-night,  turning  back  to  thank  him 
again  for  all  the  trouble  he  was  put  to. 
Oddly  enough,  he  had  small  wit  to  answer. 
He  remembered  only  that  he  stared,  while 
he  thought  himself  a  witless  fellow.  And 
he  carried  a  vivid  impression  of  his  charge 
as  she  stepped  into  the  low-ceilinged  hall, 
and  called  back, — 

u  Good-night,  Captain  Kenneth." 
The  room  was  strangely  dismal  after 
she  had  left.  He  stumbled  into  the  de 
serted  tap-room  where  there  just  had  en 
tered  a  traveller  and  his  servant,  the  master 
a  little  wiry  person,  who  regarded  Kenneth 
with  interest. 

"  Ah,  Captain  Kenneth  ?  " 
"  Mr.  Fielding,"  Kenneth  said. 
87 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Yes,  of  the  Assembly.  You  are  from 
the  Marquis  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  is  my  General." 

"  What  a  pity  it  is  that  we  have  n't 
General  Washington  to  protect  the  State, 
—  or  at  least  General  Greene.  Sending 
this  boy  to  look  to  us  is  atrocious." 

"Wait,  Mr.  Fielding,"  Kenneth  said 
smiling.  "  My  General  has  had  to  work 
against  odds." 

"  Ah,  yes,  he  is  your  General,"  said  the 
other,  looking  Kenneth  over  with  cold, 
scrutinizing  gray  eyes.  "  But  the  impor 
tance  of  our  State  is  not  to  be  underesti 
mated.  The  enemy  recognize  the  stores 
of  tobacco,  rice,  and  indigo,  they  have  to 
draw  on.  If  the  rest  of  the  Colonies  are 
lost,  the  King's  government  expects  to 
retain  Virginia.  And  yet  who  is  given  us 
to  defend  us  against  Lord  Cornwallis  ?  —  a 
French  boy  !  " 

The  gentleman  grew  earnest  as  he  ad 
dressed  in  that  room  with  the  low  ceiling 
this  arrant  Captain  of  Armand's.  Ken- 
88 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

neth  had  learned  to  respect  the  French. 
Was  not  his  own  commander,  now  absent, 
a  French  nobleman  ? 

u  Ah,  Mr.  Fielding,  you  are  a  member 
of  the  Assembly,  as  you  say.  You  are 
speaking  as  you  might  there.  But  I  swear 
to  you,  sir,  no  one  could  have  done  better 
under  the  circumstances,  than  the  Marquis 
de  la  Fayette,  with  the  few  men  he  has 
had  to  command." 

"  Well,  well,  he  is  a  boy,"  retorted  the 
other. 

u  With  an  inferior  force.  Remember 
he  has  run  before  Cornwallis  because  it 
was  prudent." 

u  There  are  other  reasons  I  know  for 
the  conditions.  But  Nelson  will,  replace 
Jefferson  as  governor.  My  point,  Cap 
tain  Kenneth,  is  that  the  leaders  should 
not  have  put  a  boy  over  us,  —  and  he  a 
foreigner." 

"  The  Commander-in-Chief  is  kept  busy 
about  New  York,"  Kenneth  answered  this 
person  in  kind,  "  and  General  Greene  in 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

the  Carolinas.  But,  sir,  I  have  confi 
dence  in  the  Marquis.  Wait,  —  say  a 
month.  Now  I  bid  you  a  very  good 
night." 

He  looked  out  of  his  narrow  window- 
panes,  reflecting  on  what  this  lean  person 
of  substance  and  of  political  importance 
had  said. 

And  what  indeed  was  happening  to  that 
boyish  General  ?  And  here  was  he,  Ken 
neth,  away  from  him,  on  a  Tom  fool's 
errand,  because  his  fancy  about  a  girl  had 
persuaded  it.  But  the  girl's  voice,  her 
eyes,  returned.  He  did  n't  care.  It  was 
all  as  it  should  be  ;  and  he  slept,  to  wake 
in  the  stillness,  with  the  moon  through  the 
window  panes  leaving  yellow  squares  on 
the  floor,  — awoke,  as  men  will  in  the  night, 
to  think  of  much  that  has  not  been  clear 
in  the  day.  Yesterday  he  had  been  with 
that  bustling  army,  and  already  he  was  so 
far  away  j  battle  and  stolen  marches  seemed 
no  part  of  his  life,  —  a  singularly  hard  life, 
since  his  brother's  death.  He  remembered 
90 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

then,  Warrington,  Pemberton,  and  Syl 
vester  of  Colonel  Smallwood's,  —  and 
others  who  had  had  brothers  on  the  King's 
side,  and  Pemberton's,  too,  had  been  killed. 
It  was  a  common  enough  story  ;  but  was 
any  loneliness  quite  so  deep  as  his  own  ? 
Through  the  window  came  the  sounds  of 
the  summer  night  and  of  peace.  Would 
the  war  ever  be  done  ?  and  if  it  were 
over  what  was  left  for  John  Kenneth,  the 
heir  of  a  good  family,  neither  rich  nor  poor, 
who  indeed  had  not  won  great  fame  at  the 
profession  of  arms  ?  Why  could  n't  he 
sleep,  he  asked  ;  and  then  he  thought  of 
her  he  escorted ;  and  all  the  details  of  the 
day  before  were  outlined  like  the  little 
square  panes  in  the  room  in  patches  of 
moonshine.  The  wilder  part  of  the  jour 
ney  was  over,  although  it  would  take 
two  or  more  days  before  they  should  see 
Surdam  Jervon's  house  on  its  hill.  The 
lean,  garrulous  member  of  the  Virginian 
Assembly  bothered  Kenneth's  fancies. 
The  man  stood  for  the  world,  and  mean 
91 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

little  gossip.  It  suddenly  occurred  to  him 
that  the  reason  this  person  bothered  him 
was  his  feeling  that  custom  should  be  ob 
served, —  that  Miss  Jervon  should  have  a 
maid  and  a  servant.  That  would  put  the 
journey  above  gossip,  and  the  girl's  face 
appealed  to  Kenneth  there  in  the  night. 
A  dog  bayed.  The  moon  paled.  The 
dog  sent  out  again  its  long  wail,  and 
Kenneth  had  again  that  queer  feeling  of 
complete  isolation  and  foriornness,  which 
was  as  strange  of  him  as  this  new  con 
sideration  for  the  comfort  of  the  young 
woman  put  in  his  care  by  chance.  The 
moonshine  faded;  the  horizon  he  could 
see  in  leafy  outline  from  the  open  window. 
The  moon  entered  the  chinks  of  the  op 
posite  closed  sash.  Curiously  Kenneth 
noticed  the  detail,  and  then  was  sleeping 
to  be  wakened  by  a  knock  and  Mrs.  Brill- 
wood's  porter's  voice  declaring  he  had 
overslept. 

If  as  he  dashed  cold  water  in  his  sleepy 
eyes  the  fancies  of  the  night  mostly  were 
92 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

gone,  one  remained.  Out  of  his  window 
he  saw  Miss  Jervon  on  the  little  lawn 
watching  the  lean  member  of  the  Assembly 
mount  his  horse.  Her  eyes  were  bright, 
and  her  face  fresh  and  charming  as  if  she 
never  had  known  a  moment's  weariness. 

"  You  are  late,  Captain,"  she  greeted 
Kenneth. 

"  I  must  confess,"  he  said.  "  How 
pretty  you  look  indeed,  if  you  will  allow 
me." 

"  How  can  I,  when  I  only  have  this 
gown  ?  I  really  feel  quite  embarrassed, 
Captain  Kenneth,  —  more  than  you  can 
fancy." 

"  I  know  that  vanity  is  a  part  of  a  young 
woman's  equipment." 

"Is  it?" 

"As  hunger  is  of  mine." 

"  And  of  mine,  —  I  '11  confess  so  much 
at  least." 

But  she  went  on  as  they  breakfasted  ex 
plaining  that  she  had  left  her  luggage,  that 
she  really  had  several  changes  with  her 
93 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

when  she  came  up  country.  Part  had  been 
left  at  Richmond  to  hasten  the  journey, 
and  the  rest,  as  she  had  said,  at  Fairmount's 
because  her  brother  had  insisted  she  must 
not  be  too  much  encumbered. 

"  But  it  is  n't  as  if  I  were  going  to  a 
dance,  —  say  to-night,"  she  laughed  gayly 
at  her  escort.  "  I  dare  say  a  habit  is  all 
that  I  shall  need  until  we  surprise  my 
uncle  by  rushing  in  on  him.  I  suppose  he 
must  be  half  dead  with  anxiety  now.  But 
I  am  talking  much  more  than  you  are. 
Did  you  think  for  a  moment,  Captain 
Kenneth,  I  could  chatter  like  this  —  when 
we  met  that  rainy  night  ?  " 

"  Never  at  all.  I  wonder  how  the  horses 
are,  and  the  servants." 

"  The  servants  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  borrow  a  boy  and  a 
maid  for  you  from  Mrs.  Brillwood." 

u  Sure,   you  can  have  'em,  Cap'n   Ken 
neth,"  said  this  good  woman,  courtesying, 
"  and    Brillwood  would  say    so  much,  sir, 
I  'm   quite  positive." 
94 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

She  continued :  that  the  war  had  made 
some  of  her  negroes  dissatisfied ;  but  that 
Captain  Kenneth  could  have  the  maid  and 
boy  and  two  extra  horses,  the  soldiers, 
thank  Providence,  not  having  reached  to  that 
part  of  Virginia.  "  It 's  better  that  ye 
should  have  'em,  Cap'n,"  she  added  sotto 
voce.  u  Ye  mus'n't  forget  there  are  'em 
that  gossips  even  in  time  of  war." 

Miss  Jervon  did  not  have  the  benefit 
of  this  last  remark,  but  she  looked  Kenneth 
full  in  the  face  with  those  clear  eyes. 

"  You  are  the  most  thoughtful  man  I 
ever  knew." 

u  I  am  thinking  of  my  own  comfort," 
Kenneth  retorted,  laughing.  "  You  do  me 
too  great  justice  in  attributing  unselfishness 
to  me,  Miss  Jervon." 

She  looked  away  then,  flushing  a  little 
he  fancied,  and  then  said  in  a  low  voice, 
"  I  suppose  we  ought  to  be  started,  Captain 
Kenneth." 

u  You  are  thinking  of  Jervon  House  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  as  he  went  after  the 
95 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

horses  and  Mrs.  Brillwood's  servants. 
The  morning  still  was  dewy,  and  the  coun 
tryside  fresh  and  sweet.  The  road  now 
permitted  long  canters,  that  stirred  their 
pulses,  and  left  their  horses  panting. 

u  We  must  not  forget  that  we  have 
many  miles  to  cover,"  Kenneth  said,  pulling 
his  horse  down.  "  Two  more  days,  —  yes 
to-morrow  evening,  we  should  reach  Jervon 
House." 

He  was  ready  to  add,  although  he  did 
not,  that  this  would  be  all  too  soon. 

"  Captain  Kenneth,"  his  companion  be 
gan  gravely.  "  You  let  me  say  a  deal  of 
myself  yesterday,  and  yet  you  said  nothing 
of  yourself." 

"  There  is  not  much  to  say." 

"  Ah,  yes,  there  must  be.  You  spoke 
of  your  brother." 

"  Malcolm  Kenneth.  He  was  a  major 
in  one  of  the  volunteer  legions  for  the 
King." 

"  And  you  loved  him  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  we  fought,  as  boys  will ;  but, 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

latterly,  our  only  difference  was  political. 
We  were  the  last  Kenneths.  I  am  the 
only  one  now." 

u  And  how  did  you  happen  to  be  on 
that  side  then  ?  " 

"  The  question  is  absurd,  Miss  Jervon, 
if  you  will  allow  me.  You  yourself  know 
enough  families  divided." 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed." 

"  My  father  came  to  Virginia  because  he 
was  out  for  the  Stuart  claimant  in  '45.  I 
suppose  I  ought  to  have  stood  by  a  king. 
But  perhaps  it  was  the  thought  that  the 
Hanoverians  are  not  Stuarts  which  led  me 
to  support  Mr.  Henry  when  he  talked  in 
the  House  of  Burgesses.  My  brother  and 
I  had  many  quarrels  about  it,  —  but  there 
were  no  very  serious  ones.  I  believe  we 
did  have  some  heart-burning,  when  we 
were  younger,  over  a  girl." 

"  Oh,  fie  !  a  girl  ?  Captain  Kenneth.  I 
never  thought  you  susceptible." 

"But  I  am.  That  was  long  ago,  how 
ever.  The  girl  married  another,  and  we 
7  97 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

both  laughed  over  it  in  the  old  home. 
There  is  a  big  chimney  in  that  house. 
Malcolm  and  I  climbed  up  it  when  we 
were  boys,  and  it  was  that  recollection 
which  led  me  to  try  the  chimney  in  your 
cousin  Fairmount's  house." 

"  To  my  embarrassment." 

"  Well,  it  must  have  been  very  much 
so.  I  was  worse  than  a  chimney-sweep, 
and  exasperated  and  ungallant,  I  know." 

"  Ah,  yes,  you  were.  But  to  return  to 
the  subject.  What  was  that  girl  like  ?  " 

"  I  can't  remember." 

"You  are  fibbing, 'Captain  Kenneth." 

u  Oh,  another  girl  has  put  her  out  of 
my  mind  lately.  Now,  —  I  think  I  have 
about  ended  with  myself." 

"  You  have  said  nothing  about  yourself, 
—  about  your  life  before  the  war." 

"  It  was  n't  a  life  to  be  talked  of;  a 
young  Virginian's,  —  fox-hunting,  some 
play,  more  drink  than  was  exactly  good. 
Malcolm  was  the  finer  of  the  two,  I  assure 
you.  He  never  did  what  I  did." 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  Dreadful  things,  Captain  Kenneth,  I 
can  imagine.  And  what  have  you  done 
in  the  war  ?  " 

"  That 's  answered.  I  'm  only  captain, 
a  poor  one.  Malcolm  and  I  had  some 
property  in  Westchester  through  our 
mother,  but  that  we  succeeded  in  scatter 
ing.  The  estate  in  Prince  William  is 
mortgaged.  Well,  —  as  for  the  war,  I 
fell  in  with  a  French  nobleman,  Armand, 
Marquis  de  Ronarie.  I  served  with  him. 
He  never  has  been  properly  recognized. 
Why  should  I  find  fault?" 

"  You  should  —  should  be  higher." 

"  Oh,  I  am  sure  it  is  good  of  you  to 
say  that,  —  tremendously,  Miss  Jervon. 
I  will  have  you  talk  to  General  Washing 
ton,  or  Congress." 

u  You  would  be  more  than  captain  if 
you  served  the  King." 

"  Oh,  but  I  should  n't." 

"  I  know  that  you  are  staunch  to  your 
opinions.     Well,  we  won't  quarrel  on  their 
account,  —  shall  we  ?  " 
99 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Kenneth  remembered  this  ride  many 
times  in  the  busy  days  that  were  to  fol 
low, —  which  were  to  mean  so  much  in 
his  career,  and  in  the  cause  he  served. 
They  talked  of  many  things  along  the 
long  miles.  They  stopped  that  night  to 
take  the  hospitality  of  a  family  that  had 
not  forgotten  the  Virginian  blessing  to 
passing  traveller.  The  next  day  the  bor 
rowed  servants  from  Brillwood's  carried 
lunch  which  they  ate  under  the  trees. 
That  day  was  not  very  different.  Its 
incidents  you  may  imagine  from  those 
which  have  gone  before,  and  at  sun 
down  Jervon  House  loomed  on  its  hill 
above  the  broad  river.  They  both  fell 
silent. 

"  You  stay  with  us,"  she  began. 

"  Well,  to-night,  and  then  I  must  rejoin 
my  General." 

Surdam  Jervon  was  carried  down  the 
broad  stairs  in  the  strong  arms  of  his  valet, 
William. 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  you,  Mr.  Kenneth, 
100 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

and  I  have  to  thank  you  much  indeed  for 
your  kindness  to  my  niece." 

"  I  am  glad  to  be  of  any  service,  sir," 
Kenneth  answered. 

"  I  knew  your  father,"  Jervon  went  on, 
"  a  brave  man,  a  prejudiced  adherent  of  the 
Pretender.  I  '11  not  attempt  to  convert 
you  to  true  principles,  if  you  are  his  son. 
I  suppose  I  can't  do  that,"  he  added  affably. 
"  Ah,  Mr.  Kenneth,  I  was  a  strong  young 
chap  in  those  days.  Now  I  am  a  wreck. 
My  legs  are  useless.  Sometimes  I  am 
driven  over  to  Lord  Fairfax's,  whose  case 
is  almost  as  bad.  We  are  two  broken  old 
fellows.  But  it  does  me  good  to  see  a  fine 
man  like  you.  You  have  your  father's 
build,  and  I  am  sorry  you  disagreed  with 
your  brother  and  the  rest  of  us,  and  took 
the  wrong  side." 

"  Lord  Dunmore  rather  disgusted  me." 

"  His  Lordship  deserted  Virginia, —  ran 
away.  He  made  more  trouble  for  the 
King  than  any  other  cause,"  said  Jervon 
excitedly. 

101 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

But  here  Charlotte  entered  in  a  dinner 
gown  that  made  her  different  from  the  com 
panion  of  his  ride. 

"  Jerome  has  been  here,  —  a  dozen 
times,  —  worried  about  you." 

"Jerome  can  wait,"  said  the  hostess, 
blushing  prettily,  as  she  did  the  honors  of 
her  uncle's  table. 

"  My  nephew,  Jerome  P'airmount,  is 
not  like  my  other  nephew,  Captain  Jervon, 
—  a  good  soldier,  sir.  Jerome  is  politic. 
I  don't  like  his  non-committal  position, 
but  I  suppose  I  should  be  that,  —  if  I  had 
his  property." 

"  Doubtless,"  said  Kenneth,  absently. 

"  You  know  you  would  n't,  uncle," 
Charlotte  Jervon  said.  u  How  absurdly 
you  talk  !  But  we  know  you." 

"  I  don't  like  the  way  things  are  going," 
the  old  man  went  on  peevishly.  "  Here 
is  Lord  Cornwallis  running  before  the 
Frenchman.  There  's  no  doubt  His  Lord 
ship  is  drawing  back  to  the  seaboard,  and 
leaving  the  State  to  the  rebels.  I  suppose 
102 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

my   friend   Richard    Henry   Lee   will   like 
that  well  enough;  but  I  don't;  I  can't." 

"  Have  you  heard  where  General  de 
la  Fayette  is  ?  You  know  he  is  my  com 
mander  !  " 

u  He  was  at  Dandrige's  on  the  South 
Anna,  the  last  I  heard.  But  I  hope  all 
will  come  out  well,  —  as  it  must,  if  those 
monsieurs  only  would  attend  to  their  own 
affairs.  But  when  you  put  Englishman 
against  Englishman  in  civil  war,  and  to 
it  all  add  Frenchmen,  —  well,  it 's  bad 
enough,  Mr.  Kenneth." 

So  they  talked,  and  Kenneth  wondered  if 
this  demure  young  woman  at  her  uncle's 
table  was  indeed  the  companion,  —  yes, 
comrade  of  that  long  ride. 

u  I  have  been  writing  Dick,  Captain 
Kenneth.  I  have  told  him  all  you  have 
done  for  me,  and  I  have  asked  him  to  see 
that  your  servant  —  the  man  Colonel 
Tarleton  took  from  Fairmount's  —  be 
sent  you.  I  'm  sure  Dick  will  see  that 
he  is." 

103 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

a  He  's  invaluable.  I  should  like  him 
back." 

And  then  they  were  in  the  great  room, 
and  Charlotte  Jervon  sang  Scotch  ballads, 
she  said  in  honor  of  the  Virginianized  Scot. 
"  I  'm  clumsy  at  the  dialect,"  she  laughed. 

u  Oh,  it  was  before  my  time,  when  we 
were  Scotch,"  Kenneth  retorted.  But  he 
was  certain  Miss  Jervon's  voice  was  charm 
ing.  She  blushed  and  sang  again.  The 
June  moon  fell  over  her.  Old  Jervon 
talked  garrulously,  and  then  the  hour  of 
"  good-night "  came. 

But  again  Kenneth  could  not  sleep.  He 
thought  of  all  that  had  happened,  even 
to  Mr.  Jervon's  twitting  him  about  the  coat 
he  still  wore.  He  indeed  must  get  a  new 
one  when  he  once  was  back  with  the  army, 
—  were  that  possible  when  the  commissary 
department  was  so  low  in  supplies. 

Early  the  next  morning  he  said  "  good 
bye." 

"  I  really  am  sorry  to  have  you  go,  Cap 
tain  Kenneth,"  Charlotte  Jervon  said. 
104 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  It  was  a  jolly  ride,  and  I  am  sorry  to 
go.  But  I  must  get  back.  Oh,  that  was 
good  of  you  to  think  of  writing  Captain 
Jervon  about  my  man,  Finch." 

"  And  don't  I  owe  you  much  ? "  said 
she.  "  How  absurd  for  you  to  thank  me 
for  anything.  Certainly  I  have  made  you  a 
deal  of  trouble.  Was  n't  that  fat  old  land 
lady  at  Brillwood's  nice  ?  " 

Surdam  Jervon  sent  for  him  to  come  up 
stairs  to  his  room.  It  was  too  hot  for  him 
to  descend ;  his  gout  was  too  painful. 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you,"  he  said,  propped 
in  pillows,  speaking  as  the  head  of  the 
Jervons. 

And  Kenneth  was  mounted,  looking 
back  at  Charlotte  Jervon  in  the  doorway 
until  a  turn  hid  her.  Then  he  whipped 
up  rather  gloomily.  But  he  had  his  duty 
with  the  army. 


Chapter  V. 

How  General  de  la  Fayette  had 
from  Mr.  Fairmount  an  Ex 
planation  of  Lord  Cornwallis' 
Manoeuvres. 

TV^ENNETH  met  many  rumors  of  the 
X ^.  Marquis'  failures  and  successes 
since  he  had  left  him  that  afternoon  on 
Mechunck  Creek ;  one  declaring  that  Lord 
Cornwallis  really  was  retreating,  and  an 
other,  more  generally  believed,  that  the 
King's  cunning  general  was  but  trying  to 
draw  his  youthful  opponent  into  an  am 
bush.  Yet  even  the  appearance  of  an 
enemy's  retreat  gives  good  heart,  and  many 
told  Kenneth  that "  the  Frenchman  "  was  n't 
so  bad  a  leader,  and  after  all  General  Wash 
ington  might  have  been  right.  "  The 
General-in-Chief  usually  is,"  Kenneth  com 
mented  laconically. 

1 06 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Oh,  the  "  little  "  General  was  getting  on 
well,  the  cross-road  informant  would  con 
tinue;  his  army  certainly  was  increasing; 
now  at  least  eight  thousand.  Kenneth  did 
not  believe  this  could  be  possible  although 
he  was  glad  to  think  popular  opinion  was 
changing  as  to  his  General's  ability.  He 
strengthened  the  impression  of  the  probable 
increase  of  the  army,  remembering  that  it 
was  the  Marquis'  policy  to  make  a  show 
of  large  numbers  by  scattering  forces  along 
different  roads,  by  never  encamping  in  line, 
that  spies  and  deserters  might  be  deceived. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  Kenneth  had  discovered, 
on  the  evening  when  he  rode  into  head 
quarters  at  New  Kent  Court  House,  that 
the  army  was  about  forty- four-hundred 
strong :  General  Wayne's  Pennsylvania 
line ;  and  General  Muhlenberg's  New 
England  light  infantry,  tried  veterans ; 
and  the  Virginian  militia  under  Generals 
Campbell  and  Lawson  ;  and  Colonel  Febi- 
ger's  eighteen  months  men;  and  Major 
McPherson's  combined  infantry  and  cav- 
107 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

airy  ;  Major  Call's  and  Willis's  riflemen ; 
Lieutenant  Mercer's  dragoons ;  and  the 
French  Major  Galvin's  little  corps  from 
Vose's  Massachusetts  light  infantry.  Nor 
must  I  omit  in  this  list  the  brave  Colonel 
Butler  who  had  been  a  distinguished  figure 
in  army  affairs  since  Stony  Point.  Lord 
Cornwallis'  army  was  nearly  double,  to  be 
sure  ;  but  nothing,  as  I  have  said  and  every 
militiaman  knows,  gives  a  soldier  heart  so 
much  as  to  feel  an  enemy  on  the  retreat. 
Yes,  His  Lordship  was  leaving  Virginia  for 
the  seaboard  with  some  ulterior  purpose 
hard  to  fathom  ;  retreating  before  an  in 
ferior  enemy  who  marched  close  at  his 
heels  by  day  and  by  night.  Kenneth's 
delay  in  joining  his  General  indeed  had  been 
occasioned  by  the  rapidity  of  the  Marquis' 
movements,  the  uncertainty  of  his  where 
abouts  from  hour  to  hour. 

u  You   are   hard  to  find,  Your   Excel 
lency,"  he  said,  that  night  at  headquarters, 
noticing  how   the   few  days'   success  had 
changed  de  la  Fayette's  expression. 
1 08 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  are  back,  —  but  not  quite  in 
time,  Captain.  I  am  afraid  you  can't 
figure  in  the  little  brush  to-night." 
"  What 's  that,  may  I  ask  ?  " 
"  Oh,  you  see  it 's  General  Wayne's 
idea.  I  am  prudence  itself.  But  I  still  have 
to  hold  myself  in,  Kenneth.  I  want  to  fight, 
and  I  get  so  tired  of  perpetual  reconnoi 
tring.  Yet  I  must  remember  I  'm  respon 
sible  for  the  army,  Captain.  And  then 
Colonel  Wayne  comes  to  me,  — c  mad 
Anthony,'  I  believe  you  call  him,  —  and 
he  says,  '  General,  now  there  are  Simcoe's 
rangers  stealing  cattle  and  burning  supplies 
down  toward  Williamsburg.  Now  let 
me,  General,'  says  your  brave  c  mad ' 
General  Wayne,  Captain  ;  '  let  me  order 
the  van  to  intercept  those  rangers  of 
Simcoe.'  I  reflect,  Captain ;  mind  you,  I 
reflect  that  it  will  have  a  good  effect  on  the 
troops  to  do  a  little  fighting  ;  and  I  say, '  Go 
on,  General  Wayne.  Catch  that  fellow 
Simcoe.'  And  they  are  gone,  and  I  wanted 
to  be  with  them,  Captain.  And  —  and  I 
109 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

wonder  what  is  happening  down  there  to 
ward  Williamsburg.  But  here  you  are 
back,  Kenneth,  after  your  excursion  of 
gallantry.  Was  the  lady  pretty  ?  Ah, 
I  didn't  see  her ;  I  'm  a  married  man,  you 
know,  Captain  Kenneth.  I  'm  afraid  of 
these  pretty  American  Meeses.  But  you, 
—  ah,  you  still  wear  that  scarlet  coat." 

"  I  am  going  to  appeal  to  the  commis 
sary  for  another,  Your  Excellency.  I 
came  near  getting  a  bullet  several  times 
with  it  on  my  back.  I  am  again  here, 
sir,  to  serve.  I  am  sorry  I  was  away  at 
so  critical  a  time." 

"  Oh,  never  mind  the  past,  Captain. 
It 's  what  is  to  happen.  What  is  his  Lord 
ship  trying  to  do  ?  I  can't  make  out ; 
attempting  to  reach  his  shipping,  it  would 
appear.  But  why  ?  Or  is  it  all  a  feint 
to  put  me  'in  a  corner,'  as  you  say  ? 
Oh,  I  have  to  be  careful." 

"  You  decided,  I  remember,  you  thought 
he  was  acting   against  his  own  judgment, 
and  on  Sir  Henry  Clinton's." 
no 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  So  it  seemed  then ;  so  it  may  now. 
But  I  confess  I  'm  at  my  wit's  end.  Only 
I  must  shift  my  camp.  I  must  sleep  with 
both  eyes  open,  and  I  never  can  tell  at  all. 
Oh,  I  wish  to  know  !  " 

An  orderly  interrupted. 

"  A  gentleman  has  come  through  the 
lines  with  a  pass  from  the  Governor  of 
Virginia,  —  a  Mr.  Fairmount." 

"  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  great  landowners,  sir," 
said  the  orderly,  who  was  a  Virginian. 

"  Tory  ?     Whig  ?  " 

"  His  interests  appear  to  keep  him 
both,"  said  Kenneth.  u  This  is  a  curious 
coincidence.  You  know  this  man  is  a 
relative  of  the  Jervons.  Miss  Jervon  was 
the  young  lady  I  escorted.  But  the  Jer 
vons  are  decidedly  for  the  King,  and  this 
Fairmount  is  cautious." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I    see.     He  has    a    French 

landlord's    cunning;     wishes    to    be    safe 

whichever    side    wins.       Yes,    show    Mr. 

Fairmount    in,"    the     General     continued 

in 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

to  the  orderly.  «  But  don't  you  think," 
he  went  on  to  Kenneth  in  a  low  tone, 
"  that  augurs  well  for  us,  —  that  such  a 
person  should  think  it  safer  to  consult  us 
at  least.  Ah,  Mr.  Fairmount,  I  believe." 

There  entered  a  man  of  forty,  of  me 
dium  height,  and  a  figure  not  ungraceful,  if 
inclined  to  stoutness.  Deep-set  grey  eyes 
were  the  features  of  a  rosy  face,  strong, 
and  sometimes  even  commanding.  They 
said  Fairmount  inherited  the  accurate  sense 
of  property,  enabling  him  to  deal  out  to 
each  his  due,  not  a  tittle  more  nor  less.  No 
man  could  get  near  this  intellectual,  even 
personality,  ever  apparent  self-master. 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  you,  sir,"  said  the 
Marquis,  "for  of  course  I  know  your 
name." 

"  It  is  very  good  of  Your  Excellency  so 
to  state,"  the  visitor  said.  u  The  Governor 
wished  me  to  lay  some  matters  before 
you.  I  have  this  letter  from  him." 

"  Shall  I  read  it  now  ?  " 

"  If  Your  Excellency  pleases." 
112 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

As  the  General  scanned  the  paper, 
Fairmount  turned  to  Kenneth. 

"  I  believe  I  have  to  thank  you,  sir,  for 
a  courtesy  to  my  cousin,  Miss  Jervon. 
She  is  a  bit  impetuous,  and  her  deep  at 
tachment  to  her  brother  led  her  on  that 
dangerous  excursion  forbidden  by  her 
family,  —  indeed  without  their  knowledge. 
She  told  me  particularly  how  good  you 
were." 

Kenneth  said  something  in  reply,  but 
he  did  not  like  that  which  Fairmount's 
word  and  tone  implied  —  certainly  an  air 
of  possession  such  as  she  had  said  was  his 
right ;  and  she  had  told  Fairmount  "  par 
ticularly."  Yet  really  there  was  every 
reason  why  she  should,  he  reflected,  ana 
lyzing  his  resentment. 

"  Mr.  Fairmount,"  said  the  Marquis, 
"  I  want  to  ask  your  permission  to  show 
this  paper  to  Captain  Kenneth,  for  the 
simple  reason  he  understands  Virginian 
matters  better  than  I,  while  my  other 
officers  now  are  on  duty." 
8  113 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Fairmount  looked  at  Kenneth,  as  if 
hesitating  ;  but  there  was  nothing  of  this 
in  his  voice. 

"  Why,  it 's  at  Your  Excellency's 
disposal." 

"  Excuse  us  for  a  moment.  Read  that, 
Kenneth,"  the  General  said,  drawing  the 
Captain  of  Armand's  aside. 

"DEAR  MARQUIS,"  it  ran,  "the  bearer  is 
Jerome  Fairmount,  as  you  may  know,  one  of  the 
greatest  Virginian  proprietors.  I  will  explain  in 
stating  his  acreage  is  as  extensive  as  Lord  Fair 
fax's  }  a  man  to  gain,  even  at  this  late  day. 

"  We  can't  afford  not  to  conciliate  him.  He  has 
been  hand  and  glove  with  us,  and  hand  in  glove 
with  the  Tories.  He  has  no  hesitancy  in  declar 
ing  his  position,  that  he  wants  to  preserve  his 
property  from  confiscation  j  nor  does  he  inciden 
tally  wish  to  prejudice  his  neighbors.  But  now, 
he  tells  me,  he  has  reason  to  believe  we  may  be 
successful.  I  don't  know  his  sources  of  informa 
tion.  But  I  am  sure  he  can  render  you  some  sig 
nal  service  5  and  I  commend  him  to  your  favor. 
"I  am,  my  dear  Marquis, 
"Yours  faithfully, 

"THOMAS  JEFFERSON." 
114 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  know  there  is  no  discussion  of 
means  in  war,"  Kenneth  commented 
coldly. 

Fairmount  here  interrupted,  "  Will  you 
pardon  me  for  interrupting,  that  I  may 
explain.  I  want  my  position  fairly  stated, 
General  de  la  Fayette.  I  trust  Captain 
Kenneth  is  discreet,  as  I  know  he  indeed 
must  be.  It  may  be  that  preserving  this  ap 
pearance  of  neutrality,  —  which  your  nature 
and  youth  —  I  beg  your  Excellency's  pardon 

—  may  not  permit  you  to  appreciate  quite, 

—  it  may  be  that  I  can  prove  of  greater 
service  than  I  otherwise  could." 

"  Do  you  not  run  some  risk  of  being 
thought  a  spy  ?  "  the  "  little  "  General 
said. 

"  Not  at  all,"  Fairmount  said.  "  They 
think  on  account  of  my  associations,  my 
relatives,  my  vested  interests,  I  certainly 
must  be  with  them;  nor  can  you,  sir, 
imagine  a  man  of  my  position  sinking  to 
that.  General  Jefferson  has  put  it  exactly. 
I  wish  to  keep  my  neutrality  unquestioned, 
"5 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

to  preserve  my  property.  From  the  first, 
sir,  I  have  believed  this  contest  might  turn 
either  way." 

The  listeners  perhaps  admired  the  cold 
intellectuality  of  which  this  masterly  frank 
ness  was  no  mean  part.  He  stated  his 
position  without  quibbling,  and  if  you  ac 
cepted  his  statement  you  could  not  censure 
him  afterward ;  he  indeed  had  anticipated 
inimical  insinuation.  His  cleverness  had  a 
magnetic  effect  both  on  the  youthful  Gen 
eral,  and  on  the  older,  perhaps  more 
skeptical  Kenneth. 

"  Now  this  is  the  conclusion  I  have 
reached,  General  de  la  Fayette,  and  it  may 
influence  your  action  somewhat :  you  have 
wondered  why  Lord  Cornwallis  has  been 
retreating  against  his  established  reputation, 
when  again  and  again  he  could  have  cut  you 
into  pieces  ?  " 

"  He  has  had  the  chance,  several  times," 
said  the  General,  brusquely. 

"  Oh,  you  could  n't  have  prevented  him, 
although  everybody  must  acknowledge  that 
116 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

you,  General,  have  conducted  this  campaign 
almost  beyond  criticism.  But  I  '11  tell  you 
the  reason  for  his  Lordship's  manoeuvre; 
just  this  :  he  had  orders  to  go  no  further  in 
subjecting  Virginia  until  he  had  established 
a  permanent  post  on  the  coast  for  military 
and  naval  operations.  He  has  been  unde 
cided  between  Gloucester  and  Yorktown, 
—  or  both,  —  or  Portsmouth  possibly." 

"  Yes,  I  understand,"  said  de  la  Fayette 
kindling.  "  Your  statement  proves  the 
case ;  he  has  not  wished  to  sacrifice  any 
troops.  No,  he  could  not  risk  any,  — 
under  the  conditions  of  his  orders.  That 
explains  why  the  same  General,  who  at 
tacked  General  Greene  with  double  his 
numbers,  now  runs  from  my  little  force." 

u  And,  sir,"  Fairmount  continued,  "  to 
day  his  Lordship  has  received  an  order 
from  Sir  Henry  to  dispatch  him  by  the 
thirty  transports  now  in  the  bay  the  follow 
ing  troops.  To  make  sure,  I  '11  read  the 
list."  He  took  a  paper  and  read,  while 
the  others  listened  amazed.  "  A  consid- 
117 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

erable  part  of  his  Lordship's  army,  you 
understand." 

"  Sent  because  Sir  Henry  fears  an  attack 
on  New  York  from  the  combined  force  ?  " 

"  Yes,  exactly.  Now  the  point  I  would 
make,"  Fairmount  went  on  in  that  studied, 
precise  tone,  "  is  that  Your  Excellency 
will  see  that  Cornwallis  is  not  trying  to 
entrap  you.  On  the  contrary,  he  is  bound 
to  send  those  regiments  North.  You  can 
harass  his  rear,  I  believe,  without  too  great 
risk  of  his  turning ;  and  lastly  you  may 
anticipate  a  more  equal  force." 

"  You  have  brought  valuable  informa 
tion,  confirming  suspicions,  Mr.  Fairmount. 
But  —  " 

"  General  de  la  Fayette,  I  am  telling 
you  exact  truth,  and  my  motive  is,  as 
Governor  Jefferson  has  said,  that  you  may 
remember  it,  should  I  require  that." 

"  Otherwise,  I  am  to  forget  ?  " 

"  I  think  you  understand  me." 

Kenneth  thought  the  Marquis'  own 
tone  conveyed  admiration  of  a  superior 
118 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

mind,  if  contempt  for  an  inferior  moral 
nature.  Yet,  remembering  his  position,  he 
treated  his  visitor  with  great  and  cautious 
consideration.  The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
had  learned  the  need  of  policy  as  well 
as  that  of  military  strategy.  Now,  he  said, 
he  trusted  Fairmount  would  remember  to 
keep  him  informed.  Fairmount  replied 
that  he  hoped  the  Marquis  would  believe 
him  ;  but  he  must  not  excite  suspicion  by 
remaining  too  long  in  the  American  quar 
ters.  The  General,  of  course,  would  not 
forget  that  the  visit  must  be  held  confiden 
tial.  He  bowed  then  affably  to  them  both, 
expressing  again  to  Kenneth  his  sense  of 
obligation  for  courtesy  to  his  cousin ;  and 
went  out  with  the  Marquis's  permit  to  pass 
the  lines,  and,  leaving  an  impression  of 
smooth  wit,  of  keen  understanding  of 
others'  foibles,  and  some  perplexity,  in  both 
the  General  and  the  troop  captain. 

u  What  do  you  make  of  him,  Kenneth  ?  " 
the  Marquis  asked.     "  You  perhaps  have 
had  more  experience  with  men  than  I." 
119 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  That,  exactly  as  he  has  described  him 
self,  he  is  playing  for  favor,  with  both 
sides." 

"  Has  he  told  the  truth  ?  " 

"  I  believe  he  has  ;  for  what  would  it 
avail  him,  in  the  event  of  our  success,  un 
less  he  could  show  us  a  service  ?  " 

"  Might  he  not  have  another  object  —  ?  " 

u  What  does  the  knowledge  he  has 
given  tempt  you  to  do  unless  to  be  more 
confident  ?  How  could  he  gain,  save  in 
the  one  way  of  showing  us  service  ?  " 

u  Ah,  that  I  am  afraid  of, — too  great  con 
fidence.  Captain,  I  can't  stand  this  per 
petual  manoeuvring.  I  want  to  fight  them 
once.  If  General  Wayne  may  push  them 
hard  to-night,  I  shall  not  be  there." 

"  And  my  troopers  are,  and  I  am  not," 
said  the  Captain  of  Armand's,  rather 
gloomily  himself. 

"  Ah,  we  shall  have  an  action  yet,  Cap 
tain  ;  and  you  shall  be  colonel  of  an  inde 
pendent  troop  like  Colonel  Lee's.  What 's 
this,  Peabody  ? " 

1 20 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

There  had  entered  a  messenger  of 
General  Wayne's.  Every  moment  was 
then  active  ;  any  day  General  de  la  Fayette 
was  ready  to  move,  with  the  consequence 
of  his  troops  being  almost  exhausted, 
between  heat,  lack  of  sleep,  constant 
marches. 

Listening  to  General  Wayne's  mes 
senger,  the  Marquis  turned  excitedly,  and 
Kenneth  found  all  at  once  that  he  had  a 
duty  assigned  him.  Again  he  was  in  the 
saddle,  taking  but  time  to  change  the  King's 
coat.  He  could  no  longer  wear  the  wrong 
uniform. 

By  hard  riding,  made  longer  by  false 
trails,  he  joined  McPherson's  retreating 
dragoons  late  the  next  morning.  For 
his  Lordship's  army  had  moved  on  the 
Americans  sent  out  to  break  Colonel 
Simcoe's  raid.  Yet  Lord  Cornwallis  went 
no  further  than  to  protect  the  attacked 
posts,  which,  Kenneth  concluded,  indeed 
was  in  keeping  with  the  information  Fair- 
mount  had  advanced  the  General. 

121 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

The  Marquis  and  his  staff  made  no 
doubt  the  week  following  that  the  mystery 
of  the  retreat  was  explained,  and  he  wrote 
the  Commander-in-Chief  that  he  believed 
he  had  good  information  that  Sir  Henry 
was  frighted  by  the  strong  force  about 
New  York;  consequently  that  Corn- 
wallis'  force  was  to  be  much  reduced. 
But  it  was  not  until  later  that  the  first 
idea  came  to  the  American  army  in  Vir 
ginia  that  something  might  be  done  in  that 
state  to  make  defeat  victory. 

Kenneth  was  busied  these  early  July 
days,  for  the  most  with  the  cavalry  along 
outlying  posts ;  and  so  tired  was  he  that 
he  had  little  time  to  think  of  those  quiet 
days  when  he  had  ridden  with  Charlotte 
Jervon  in  a  Virginia  undisturbed  by  the  roll 
of  guns.  He  wondered  at  Jerome  Fair- 
mount  ;  failing  to  understand  a  character 
such  as  his,  and  yet  unconsciously  finding 
himself  admiring  the  man's  extreme  clever 
ness  ;  if  his  moral  obliquity  might  be  great, 
he  yet  commanded  the  certain  respect  we 

122 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

give  mental  adroitness,  even  against  our 
judgment.  Our  Captain  remembered 
how  familiarly  Surdam  Jervon  had  spoken 
of  this  man  to  his  niece,  and  the  girl's 
blush. 

One  of  these  July  mornings  Kenneth 
awoke  rubbing  his  eyes  ;  for  Finch  was 
there  at  the  tent  door  polishing  his  boots. 
"  Yes,  it  's  me,  Mars,"  grinned  Finch  ; 
"  and  they  've  dragged  me  'round  ;  but 
Cap'n  Jervon,  who  's  a  fine  gen'l'man, 
sar,  sent  me  back  to  you  ;  "  and  Kenneth 
read,  — 


CAPTAIN  KENNETH,  —  You  have  put 
me  under  a  burden  of  gratitude  for  your  great 
kindness  to  Charlotte.  The  least  we  can  do  is 
to  return  your  servant,  with  an  apology  from  both 
Colonel  Tarleton,  who  wishes  to  be  remembered, 
and  from  myself,  for  having  kept  the  fellow  so 
long.  I  am,  my  dear  Captain,  yVs  to  command, 
RICHARD  JERVON." 

Kenneth   laughed  over   Finch   and   the 
note,    which    made    him    remember     that 
Charlotte  Jervon  had  said  the  man  should 
123 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

be  returned.  It  at  least  was  good  of  her. 
And  how  was  this  old  Finch  ?  But  Finch 
inquired  about  the  little  mare.  It  was  just 
as  well  that  "  the  lady  "  was  in  Governor 
Jefferson's  stable,  although  he  was  fear 
ful  the  "  niggars  thar "  would  n't  know 
enough  to  give  her  decent  care.  No,  he 
did  n't  know  that  he  could  tell  Master 
John  anything  about  his  "  Lardship  "  ; 
they  'd  him  working  too  hard  for  a  civil 
ized  "  niggar,  sar "  ;  and  so  the  old  man 
(he  must  have  been  seventy)  chattered  on, 
and  Kenneth  laughed  until  an  order  came 
from  head-quarters. 

He  was  indeed  busied,  and  never  more 
so  than  in  that  eventful  fight  at  Green 
Spring. 


124 


Chapter  VI. 

How  the  Marquis  fought  His  Lord 
ship  at  Sir  William  Berkeley's 
House  of  Green  Spring;  and  how 
Captain  Kenneth,  forgetting  Duty, 
was  reminded  of  the  Lapse. 

THE  night  before,  the  van  lay  on  arms 
eight  miles  from  Jamestown,  and 
at  dawn  a  deserter  came,  saying  that  only 
the  enemy's  rear  remained  on  the  James 
town  side  of  the  river.  At  once  General 
Wayne  was  leading,  with  Mercer's,  Mc- 
Pherson's,  Galvan's,  Call's,  Willis's,  and 
Armand's.  Presently  in  their  hurried 
march  they  came  in  view  of  Green  Spring. 
The  enemy's  outposts  were  a  half  mile 
farther  j  and  scouts  brought  conflicting 
rumors;  some  that  both  Cornwallis  and 
Tarleton  were  on  the  north  shore  ;  others 
that  only  a  covering  party  was  left.  Gen- 
I2S 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

eral  Wayne  hesitated,  looking  across  the 
marsh  bridged  here  by  a  narrow  causeway  ; 
but  the  waving  bushes  beyond  gave  no 
answer,  and  the  hot  June  sun  beat  down. 
While  they  deliberated,  the  "  little  "  Gen 
eral  (reddish  hair,  retreating  brow,  tall, 
thin,  awkward  figure),  came  pounding  up. 

"  Oh,  we  will  risk  it,"  he  said.  "  Order 
up  the  Pennsylvanians  and  light  infantry. 
But "  (not  forgetting  his  lately  gained 
prudence),  "we  will  leave  the  militia  at 
Bird's  Tavern." 

Cautiously  the  American  van  pushed 
forward,  the  rattling  musketry  began  ;  and 
Colonel  Tarleton's  outposts  fell  in.  The 
uneven  ground,  the  massed  foliage,  left  it 
all  uncertain  what  lay  behind.  Was  it  but 
a  scattering  rear-guard  ?  Was  it  Lord 
Cornwallis  himself  trying  to  draw  them 
into  ambush  ? 

The  fire  kept  up.  The  riflemen  re 
plied.  They  could  see  that  the  British 
posts  still  continued  to  withdraw.  Ken 
neth  found  himself  in  a  quandary,  as  he 
126 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

watched.  His  horse  was  shot  under  him. 
Disentangling  himself  he  caught  another 
riderless. 

"  The  General  wishes  to  see  you,  sir," 
cried  a  breathless  aide. 

"  What  does  it  mean,  Captain  ?  "  de  la 
Fayette  asked. 

"  That,  sir,  those  posts  resist  too  obsti 
nately  to  be  unsupported." 

"  I  wonder  if  we  can't  learn  some 
thing  ? "  the  General  continued,  pointing 
to  a  bushy  peninsula.  For  answer  Ken 
neth  turned  that  way  with  the  General, 
leaving  his  command  for  the  recon 
noitre. 

"  By  gad,  Your  Excellency,"  Kenneth 
said,  looking  back  from  the  water's  edge  ; 
ua  feint.  Their  whole  army  is  there." 

"  Quick,  we  must  decline  a  general 
action,"  the  "little"  General  cried,  his 
homely  face  paling ;  but  even  in  the  brief 
time  of  his  absence  a  smart  action  had 
begun. 

Already  past  sunset,  the  river  bottoms 
127 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

were  heavy  with  smoke  hastening  the 
twilight.  The  retreating  enemy  had 
turned  on  Major  Galvin  in  General 
Wayne's  van.  For  three  minutes  General 
Wayne  had  "  a  choice  of  difficulties ;  "  to 
retreat,  throwing  panic  into  those  behind, 
or  to  advance  as  if  he  had  thousands  to 
follow.  Charge  he  did  in  that  deepening 
shadow.  Grape  thinned  his  ranks  ;  brought 
him  to  a  stand-still,  but  not  to  a  retreat, 
as  Kenneth,  now  at  his  place  in  the  van 
again,  often  testified.  For  fifteen  minutes 
each  held  its  own.  Again  Kenneth  felt 
his  horse  tremble  and  fall;  in  fact  every 
field  officer  was  dismounted,  while  not  a 
horse  was  left  at  the  guns.  But  Wayne, 
brave  and  impetuous,  yet  was  not  without  an 
ounce  of  caution,  He  saw  he  never  could 
stand  before  the  overwhelmingly  increasing 
foe.  "  Back,"  the  order  sounded,  when 
already  many  were  running  ;  the  foe  follow 
ing,  tumbling  and  falling  in  the  gloom. 

Yet    the    sound    lessened ;    the   pursuit 
faded. 

128 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  The  darkness  !  God  be  thanked  for 
the  darkness,"  the  tall  "little"  Marquis 
cried.  "  They  are  afraid,  —  not  of  us,  but 
of  the  darkness." 

"  General,"  said  mad  Anthony,  riding 
up,  "  you  are  right.  If  the  sun  had  been 
up  we  'd  been  down." 

"  We  nearly  lost  everything.  But," 
General  de  la  Fayette's  voice  was  firm 
again,  "  General  Wayne,  you  know  we 
have  n't." 

Yet  if  the  army  were  saved  for  the 
hour  one  hundred  and  forty-five  were 
killed  and  missing.  The  General,  sure 
that  the  enemy  did  not  intend  to  follow  up 
his  advantage,  waited,  until,  as  the  east 
colored  after  that  hot  and  tedious  night, 
the  retreat  began. 

"  Why  does  n't  Cornwallis  follow  it 
up  ? "  the  wearied  Captain  of  Armand's 
was  muttering,  his  tired  legs  listless  over 
his  poor  brute's  flanks.  The  rear  was 
far  away  now  from  the  rest,  its  men  scat 
tered  cautiously  here  and  there,  pausing 
9  129 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

now  and  again.  The  landscape  turned 
grayish,  and  white,  and  clouds  massed  at 
the  horizon  to  silver,  and  gold,  and  into 
flames. 

"  Another  day  !  "  muttered  our  Captain, 
despairfully.  At  such  an  hour,  when  one 
has  had  excitement  and  long  hours  of 
physical  effort,  vitality  and  hope  (which  is 
of  vitality)  are  lowest. 

A  stir  was  behind,  and  Captain  Kenneth 
again  was  alert,  and  Sergeant  Brooke  was 
calling :  — 

"  Bring  him  up,  men.  We  have  caught 
a  captain,  sir,  and  three  men." 

"  You  have,  Kenneth,"  said  Captain 
Jervon,  coming  up. 

"  Step  back,  men,  if  you  please,"  Ken 
neth  said,  and  dismounted. 

u  It 's  unfortunate,"  he  added,  reviewing 
certain  possibilities. 

"  Why  any  more  than  for  another  poor 
devil  ?:"  Jervon  asked. 

"Won't  it  be  charged  that  you  may 
have  had  to  do  with  certain  of  Burgoyne's 
130 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

command,  prisoners  of  war,  turning  bellig 
erents  ?  " 

"  I  can't  deny  that.  I  am  no  liar  even 
for  my  skin  ;  nor  does  it  shame  me,  after 
my  long  period  of  prisoner,  to  have  done 
all  I  could  for  His  Majesty." 

"  Others,  not  I,  will  bring  this  up.  They 
must.  You  should  n't  be  prisoner." 

"  I  am  free  to  confess  it  no  particular 
pleasure." 

"  And  I  can  prevent  it.  For  don't 
believe  I  underrate  your  danger  from  a 
military  court." 

u  And  how  can  you  prevent  it  ?  " 

Kenneth  looked  back  at  his  men  who 
were  watching. 

"  I  can  let  you  go,  Jervon." 

"  But  you  ?  "  said  the  other.  «  You 
will  be  breaking  your  duty.  You  can't." 

"  My  duty  ?  " 

"  Brooke." 

«  Sir !  " 

u  You  must  release  Captain  Jervon. 
Take  him  back  to  the  lines." 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  But,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  know  my  mind,  Sergeant,  and  the 
circumstance.  You  have  the  order." 

"  Kenneth,"  whispered  Jervon,  "  if  I 
ever  may  give  you  a  return  —  " 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  Go !  while  you 
have  the  chance,  and  before  I  change  my 
mind." 

"  I  can't  neglect  a  chance." 

"  Of  course  not.     Go,  I  tell  you." 

Yet  when  he  had  gone,  Kenneth  was 
half  disposed  to  call  him  back.  He  had 
been  false  to  his  position.  The  thought 
bothered  him.  And  suddenly  the  sounds 
of  the  military  court  buzzed  in  the  ears 
of  his  imagination.  He  fancied  his  men 
looked  at  him  queerly.  Would  he  better 
tell  the  Marquis  ?  or  General  Wayne  ? 
But  why  should  he  ?  Probably  the  matter 
would  n't  be  noticed  in  the  excitement  of 
the  retreat.  Yet  he  himself  should.  He 
would  n't  have  any  peace  until  he  told. 
How  indeed  had  he  happened  to  do  such  a 
thing  ?  Yet  he  knew  well  enough. 
132 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

As  the  main  body  went  on,  the  cover 
ing  parties  of  the  rear  drew  in.  Kenneth 
had  forgotten  his  weariness ;  but  not  his 
extraordinary  fault.  Yet  the  events  of 
that  morning  duty  were  not  over.  Two 
others  were  brought  him,  a  gentleman  and 
servant. 

u  I  have  General  de  la  Fayette's  pass, 
Captain  Kenneth,"  said  Jerome  Fairmount, 
for  this  was  he.  "  I  wish  to  see  him  as 
soon  as  possible." 

"  Yes,  pass  Mr.  Fairmount."    "  \ 

Fairmount  hesitated,  and  turned  back. 

"  Captain  Kenneth,  we  must  be  good 
friends." 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  Kenneth  assented. 
"  But,  —  I  '11  be  frank  in  stating  that  a 
fellow  playing  with  sides,  taking  neither, 
never  was  to  my  taste." 

"  You  may  be  right.  You  have  n't  my 
caution,  Captain  Kenneth.  It 's  a  question 
of  natures.  But  I  was  going  to  say  I  left 
Jervon  a  short  time  ago." 

"  Well,  what  of  that  ?  " 
133 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  beg  pardon,  Captain  Kenneth,  did  n't 
you  forget,  —  well,  duty  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  This  :  I  want  your  friendship,  —  or 
your  self-interest.  I  can  forget  what 
Captain  Jervon  told  me." 

"  You  need  n't,"  said  Kenneth.  "  No, 
I  think  you  need  n't  bother,  for  I  will  tell 
the  Marquis.  Besides  the  service  was  for 
your  kinsman.  You  should  be  pleased." 

u  Oh,  I  am,"  he  said,  his  voice  changing 
perceptibly.  u  I  don't  think  you  quite 
understood  me." 

u  j  did,  —  perfectly.  Sergeant  Brooke, 
you  will  see  that  Mr.  Fairmount  is  directed 
at  once  to  the  General." 

"  You  did  n't  understand  me.  I  appear 
to  have  made  a  mistake,"  Fairmount  said, 
almost  eagerly. 

"  That 's  strange  of  you,"  the  Captain 
of  Armand's  retorted,  riding  away,  and 
giving  the  other  indeed  no  chance  to 
answer. 


134 


Chapter  VII. 

How  Captain  Kenneth  heard  that 
from  Colonel  Tarleton  confirm 
ing  his  previous  opinion  of  Mr. 
Fairmount. 


ENERAL  de  la  Fayette  was  in  coun- 
cil,  but  as  was  his  wont,  on  hearing 
the  Captain  of  Armand's  presence,  he 
ordered  him  admitted. 

The  first  Kenneth  saw,  in  the  low  room 
of  the  old  rectory,  was  Jerome  Fairmount, 
who  faced  him,  showing  neither  resent 
ment  nor  surprise,  as  if  indeed  he  were  of 
no  import  to  him. 

Generals  Wayne  and  Campbell,  Colonels 
Mercer  and  Hamilton,  and  the  artillery 
Captain  Savage,  distinguished  in  yester 
day's  affair,  were  there. 

"  You  are  in  time,  Captain,"  de  la 
Fayette  said.  "  I  was  indeed  about  send 
ing  for  you." 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  have  a  report  to  submit  to  your 
Excellency." 

"  Let  that  wait  for  a  moment,  if  it 
is  n't  too  important.  It 's  this,  Captain 
Kenneth  :  I  wish  to  send  a  message  to  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  that  I  shall  write, 
but  which  some  person  who  understands 
should  explain,  to  answer  from  acquaint 
ance  with  the  situation  the  questions  Gen 
eral  Washington  may  ask.  I  have  the 
papers  made  out,"  he  continued,  advancing 
to  a  table. 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  know  how  Mr. 
Fairmount  told  the  reason  for  Lord  Corn- 
wallis'  retreat.  Nothing  could  have  added 
to  our  persuasion  of  the  exact  truth  of  his 
statement  more  than  that  my  Lord,  de 
spite  yesterday's  advantage,  has  withdrawn 
across  the  James.  Now  listen  to  that  I 
have  written  the  General  :  c  That  the 
subjugation  of  this  state  was  the  great 
object  of  the  ministry  was  an  indisputable 
fact ;  I  think  your  diversion  '  —  about  New 
York,  you  know  — '  has  been  of  more 

136 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

use  to  the  State  than  my  manoeuvres  j  but 
the  latter  has  been  much  directed  by  public 
views.  So  long  as  my  Lord  wished  for 
an  action,  not  one  gun  has  been  fired ; 
the  moment  he  declined  it,  we  have  been 
skirmishing ;  but  I  took  care  never  to 
commit  the  army,  —  You  can  bear  wit 
ness  to  that  up  to  yesterday  ?  " 

"  I  was  to  blame  for  yesterday,  Your 
Excellency,"  General  Wayne  interrupted, 
with  that  frankness  which  turned  detrac 
tors  to  friends. 

"  I  wished  it,  General  Wayne,  as  much 
as  you.  But  we  are  lucky  that  we  are 
not  destroyed.  To  continue  my  letter  : 
c  I  had  an  eye  upon  European  negotiations, 
and  made  it  a  point  to  give  His  Lordship 
the  disgrace  of  a  retreat.'  Now,  Captain 
Kenneth,  on  top  of  this  —  I  won't  read 
my  letter  further  —  comes  our  friend, 
Mr.  Fairmount.  I  have  been  talking 
with  him  more  or  less  all  day.  He  says 
His  Lordship  will  not  occupy  Portsmouth 
with  his  diminished  force,  but  instead 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Yorktown  and  Gloucester.  And  he 
makes  a  suggestion,  —  an  admirable  one 
we  believe  here,  —  which  is  that,  so  many 
of  His  Lordship's  forces  having  been  sent 
here,  it  would  be  possible  for  the  General- 
in-Chief  and  le  Comte  de  Rochambeau  to 
pretend  an  attack  on  New  York,  while 
really  marching  rapidly  here  to  us.  I 
believe,  if  my  king's  fleet  should  appear,  it 
could  be  done,  —  that  we  could  catch  his 
Lordship."  His  eyes  kindled.  He  walked 
rapidly  to  and  fro.  He  lapsed  into  French, 
although  he  now  had  mastered  his  English. 

"  But  the  proposition  must  not  get  be 
yond  us  here,  —  not  a  soul  must  suspect." 
He  stopped,  turning  to  Kenneth  : 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  explain  to 
General  Washington  ?  " 

"  I  am  certain,"  Anthony  Wayne  said. 
"  No  one  knows  the  case  better  than  the 
Captain." 

u  I  dislike  to  leave  my  troop,"  the 
Captain  of  Armand's  said  slowly.  "  You 
know  I  have  been  away." 

138 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Jerome  Fairmount  explained  with  ap 
parent  courtesy  :  "  I  don't  think  there  will 
be  fighting  at  present.  His  Lordship  will 
be  busied  at  fortifications." 

u  It  seems,"  said  Kenneth,  u  that  you, 
Mr.  Fairmount,  have  gone  over  to  our 
cause  —  " 

"  Because,  Captain  Kenneth,"  said  the 
other  coldly,  and  still  seeming  boastful  of 
self-interest,  "  I  am  persuaded  that  His 
British  Majesty,  between  you  and  your 
French  allies,  cannot  possibly  hold  the 
Colonies.  This  manoeuvre  will  take 
Cornwallis;  and  end  the  war.  I  never 
shall  lay  claim  to  the  idea.  All  I  wish, 
should  it  be  undertaken  and  proven  suc 
cessful,  is  that  you  who  are  here  will  protect 
my  interests  in  this  state  against  my  ene 
mies,  who  may  say  that  I  have  appeared  the 
Tory  and  my  estate  should  be  confiscated." 

"  The  King  would  pay  you  back,  Mr. 
Fairmount,"  sneered  the  Captain  of  Ar- 
mand's,  "by  act  of  Parliament." 

"  I  am  trusting  to  your  certain  memo- 
139 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ries,  gentlemen,  rather  than  to  uncertain 
acts  of  Parliament,"  Fairmount  replied, 
still  displaying  neither  resentment  nor 
discomfiture. 

"  But  the  fleet  that  will  co-operate  ? " 
Colonel  Mercer  asked.  "  Comte  de  Grasse 
is  about  the  Spanish  main  ?  " 

"  I  have  private  advice  that  le  Comte  de 
Grasse  will  be  here,"  the  Marquis  answered. 
"  His  Excellency  will  have  dispatches  to 
that  effect,  I  believe,  in  thirty  days." 

"  When  shall  I  start  ?  "  the  Captain  of 
Armand's  said. 

"  If  you  can,  now." 

"  I  will,  Your  Excellency.  I  need  but 
my  own  servant." 

"  You  can  have  six  troopers." 

u  I  know  the  country  too  well.  The 
dispatches  will  be  safe  enough.  As  I  take 
it,  no  one  should  know  of  this  suggestion 
of  Mr.  Fairmount's  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  no  one." 

Kenneth  looked  his  doubt  of  Fairmount. 
The  man  was  enigmatical. 
140 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  May  I  have  private  word  with  Your 
Excellency  ?  " 

«  Well,  Captain  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  confession." 

"  I  am  no  priest,  Kenneth,"  smiled  the 
General. 

"  I  took  a  prisoner,  and  let  him  go, 
because  —  " 

"  Because,  Captain  ?  " 

"  He  was  Captain  Jervon,  the  brother  of 
Miss  Jervon,  of  Jervon  House,"  Kenneth 
said,  making  his  explanation  complete. 

"  Bon  Dieu  !  " 

He  looked  serious  :  he  frowned  ;  but  said, 

u  Don't  mind,  my  dear  Kenneth.  I 
am  young,  —  younger  than  you.  I  like 
women.  What  man  does  n't  ?  Have  n't 
I  a  wife  in  France  ?  Let  the  matter  go, 
Kenneth.  Don't  mind !  I  say.  But  — 
if  I  were  you  I  would  n't  mention  it.  As 
for  me,  I  will  forget  it.  I  need  you  now." 

And,  in  louder  tone,  the  rest  heard, 

"  Captain     Kenneth,    you    understand  ? 
We  trust  you  for  your  best." 
141 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  may,  sir." 

The  last  impression  was  of  Jerome 
Fairmount. 

But  the  "  little  "  General  had  lightened 
one  burden ;  had  risked  censure  for  him. 

Yet  it  was  past  nine  before  he  started. 
He  had  been  re-called  for  additional  in 
struction  ;  and  was  told  that  Fairmount 
already  had  gone  to  the  British  lines. 

"  And  we  think  he  is  in  our  interest  ?  " 
Kenneth  commented. 

"  What  other  purpose  has  he  ?  How 
may  you  explain  him  if  he  really  is  n't, 
with  the  selfish  object  he  avows?"  the 
Marquis  asked. 

"  I  don't  know  ?  Yet  the  man  is  a 
deal  too  frank  with  his  protestations  that 
he  is  doing  all  this  selfishly." 

He  turned,  taking  the  Marquis'  hand, 

"  I  will  do  as  well  as  I  can.  Good-bye, 
sir." 

And  he  was  outside  in  a  night  of  lower 
ing  clouds,  where  Finch  waited. 

The  query  followed  along  those  roads  : 
142 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

If  the  "little"  General  had  taken  a 
burden,  there  was  the  other  thought  of 
Jerome  Fairmount ;  her  cousin  ;  and  more  ; 
a  strong,  powerful  man,  always  self-master. 
He  could  give  her  much  ;  and  was  the 
man  for  woman's  fancy.  Women  liked 
such  as  he ;  that  was  certain,  when  they 
thought  seriously  about  men,  not  im 
pulsively. 

Kenneth  must  have  muttered,  for  Finch 
asked  what  he  wished.  "  Finch,  I  was  say 
ing,  '  I  am  a  fool.' '  Finch  expostulated. 

And  time  passed. 

At  dawn  they  were  to  find  a  change  of 
mounts  :  a  station  in  the  line  of  military 
expresses  between  North  and  South. 
Kenneth  remembered  the  place  was  near 
Jervon  House.  He  might  stop  which 
would  not  take  much  time  ;  if  foolish  of 
him,  he  would  like  to  pay  his  respects 
to  Surdam  Jervon.  He  laughed  at  his 
self-deception. 

They  were  riding  sleepily,  master  and 
servant,  the  horses  lagging. 
143 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  are  prisoner,  sir." 

Yes  ;  a  hundred  figures  seemed  to  be 
about. 

"  To  whom  ?  " 

"  Colonel  Tarleton." 

"  Damn  the  nigger !  He  has  gotten 
away,"  said  a  voice. 

"  It  can't  be  helped." 

"  My  servant's  horse  has  good  wind," 
the  captive  said,  thinking  of  his  dispatches. 
They  were  leading  him  back  from  the 
road. 

Presently  was  a  circle  of  lantern  light 
among  the  trees,  where  stood  a  short, 
thick,  swarthy  man,  with  deep,  black 
eyes. 

"  I  really  am  sorry,  Captain  Kenneth. 
You  know  I  like  you,"  said  Banastre 
Tarleton,  for  it  was  he.  He  looked  at 
Kenneth  oddly,  as  if  he  thought  this  an 
excellent  joke,  and  added, 

"  But  we  had  the  information,  and  I 
told  His  Lordship  I  would  darec" 

"  You  would  dare  anything,  Colonel 
144 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Tarleton.     This    is    the    third    time    I  'm 
your  prisoner." 

"  Draw  back,  men,"  Colonel  Tarleton 
said.  "  We  can't  talk,  Kenneth.  I  want 
your  dispatches  to  Washington." 

Kenneth,  seeing  the  situation  graver, 
felt  his  heart  beat.  The  troopers  with 
drew  on  the  order.  He  glanced  into  the 
gloom  of  the  bushes  and  a  slight  opening 
in  the  circle.  He  and  Tarleton  were  al 
most  alone,  for  a  space  of  twenty  feet, 
and  he  was  mounted,  and  Tarleton  dis 
mounted,  the  orderly  with  his  horse  well  in 
the  background. 

Yet  a  great  absorbing,  sickening  curi 
osity  held  him. 

u  My  dispatches,  Colonel  Tarlcton  ? 
How  did  you  know? — if  I  have  them. 
Only  one  man  could  have  told  you  ?  " 

He  leaned  forward. 

"  Fairmount  ?  " 

I  arleton  started. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Ah,  I  am  right  ?     He  is  a  spy." 
10  145 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  You  think  him  in  your  interest  ?  " 

u  You  think  him  in  yours  ?  "  the  Cap 
tain  of  Armand's  retorted. 

But  in  which  was  he  ?  There  might 
have  been  suspicions  with  Lord  Corn- 
wallis.  He  had  tried  to  strengthen  his 
position  with  His  Lordship  by  betraying 
Kenneth.  Yet  he  had  given  the  Marquis 
valuable  information.  What  did  he  mean  ? 
What  his  exact  position  ?  Why,  it  was 
plain  !  The  man  was  trying  to  show  to 
each  side  a  service,  and  he  actually  could. 
Kenneth  laughed. 

"  I  am  afraid  neither  of  us  can  catch 
that  fellow,  Colonel  Tarleton.  You  want 
my  dispatches  ?  " 

Tarleton  approached.  Kenneth  looked 
longingly  at  the  break  in  the  circle.  He 
took  his  hand  from  his  bosom  without  the 
papers. 

"  Colonel  Tarleton,  nearer  if  you 
please." 

Banastre  Tarleton  could  catch  his 
bridle.  The  good  Finch  at  least  had  run. 
146 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Tarleton  stepped  nearer,  the  lantern 
under  one  arm,  waving  great  yellow  dabs 
over  trees  and  bushes. 

"  What  is  it,  Captain  Kenneth  ?  "  he 
asked,  not  discourteously. 

He  was  near  enough.  Kenneth  pressed 
the  spurs,  and  brought  his  fist  quickly 
between  Banastre  Tarleton's  eyes.  The 
horse  plunged  as  Tarleton,  short  and 
sturdy,  staggered  under  the  startling  blow. 
The  troopers,  blinded  by  the  glare  in  the 
glade,  hardly  saw  horse  and  rider  dashing 
through  that  careless  opening  of  the  cir 
cle  in  the  bushes,  the  gloom  swallowing 
them.  They  were  after,  Banastre  Tarleton 
quickly  on  his  feet,  and  in  the  saddle. 

The  bushes  were  a  fringe  near  a  bend 
of  the  road  the  Captain  of  Armand's  had 
been  following,  and  wildly  he  ran  along 
this  way,  up  hill  and  down,  cries  and 
hoofs  ever  fainter.  They  would  not  dare 
follow,  he  thought,  so  far  North  as  he 
was. 

The  military  post-house  indeed  must  be 
147 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

near ;  and  there,  if  he  were  not  wrong 
was  a  company  of  newly  enlisted  Virginian 
militia  on  the  way  to  General  Campbell. 

He  had  escaped.  The  horse  lessened  its 
gait  in  sheer  exhaustion,  and,  no  fearsome 
sounds  following,  Kenneth  did  not  urge. 
The  horse  had  aided  his  own  quick  wit. 

But  that  man  Fairmount  ?  He  cursed 
the  name  ;  and  then  he  remembered  the 
Jervons.  He  had  decided  to  write  this  all 
to  General  de  la  Fayette  ;  and  now  he 
changed.  But  he  must  j  it  only  would 
be  honorable.  Well,  —  he  would  think 
about  it. 

And  there  was  the  dawn,  and  the  post- 
house,  and  Finch  himself,  and  the  com 
pany  of  riflemen.  Yes,  Banastre  Tarleton 
had  feared  to  follow. 

If  Finch  were  mad  with  pleasure,  he 
thought  his  master  capable  of  anything. 
Kenneth  accused  him  of  having  run  and 
left  him ;  but  tears  came  into  the  black's 
shining  eyes,  and  the  Captain  of  Armand's 
ended  with  laughter. 

148 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

He  told  the  lieutenant  of  the  riflemen 
of  his  adventure.  The  recruits  were  eager 
to  be  down  the  road. 

"  Catch  Tarleton,  —  catch  an  eel," 
said  Kenneth,  as  he  started  with  the  fresh 
horses.  But  the  lieutenant  said  he  would 
like  to  put  hands  on  that  particular  eel ; 
his  hands  were  strong  even  for  slippery 
creatures. 

"  Good  luck  to  you,  lieutenant.  May 
you  catch  him,  and  we  all  may  bless  you. 
Report  to  General  de  la  Fayette  that  you 
passed  me  here,  and  my  adventure  with 
Banastre  Tarleton  ;  and  —  that 's  all." 
He  did  n't  add,  as  he  had  half  a  mind 
to,  "  Tell  him  to  have  an  eye  on  one 
Fairmount." 

The  fields  lay  hot  in  the  July  morning. 
Kenneth  expected  to  reach  at  noon 
another  post  in  the  line  of  military  ex 
presses,  where  he  would  sleep,  and  start 
at  six  to  journey  in  the  night  coolness. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  detour  that 
led  to  Jervon  House.  It  made  his  course 
149 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

two  miles  longer.  But  he  took  it;  and 
about  a  turn  he  saw  the  manor  on  its  hill. 
He  rode  to  the  door,  and  at  the  moment, 
as  chance  would  have  it,  Charlotte  Jervon 
met  him. 

"  Captain  Kenneth  !  My  uncle  will 
be  delighted.  His  gout  is  very  painful 
to-day ;  yet  he  will  see  you,  I  know." 

The  charming  face  was  marked  by  an 
exquisite  mouth,  that  might  pout  or  laugh  ; 
the  most  irresistible  mouth,  Kenneth  had 
said.  The  eyes  were  darkish  blue  or 
black.  The  brow,  low  and  broad,  was 
framed  by  the  reddish  blond  hair  disar 
ranged  as  if  by  the  hat  having  been  taken 
off  hastily.  In  one  hand  she  held  a  riding- 
whip,  and  the  rounded  figure  was  shown 
by  the  folds  of  a  dark  green  habit,  mud 
spattered  as  if  she  had  not  been  long  from 
her  horse,  as  at  that  first  meeting. 

And  again,  the  mistress  of  Jervon 
House  saw  a  tall,  dark  man.  Every 
Kenneth  of  that  line  had  the  same  broad 
shoulders,  muscular  body,  the  dark  eyes, 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

and  firm  mouth,  with  that  singular  look  of 
finesse  almost  inconsistent  with  all  this 
masculine  force  ;  something  almost  wom 
anish.  For  she  appeared  to  Kenneth  — 
and  Kenneth,  indeed,  to  her  —  exactly 
as  on  that  first  meeting  of  the  rainy 
night. 

"  I  can't  wait,  thanks.  I  am  on  my 
way  North.  I  could  n't  resist  a  glimpse 
of  you." 

Why  should  n't  he  rest  here  instead  of 
at  noon  at  the  regular  post  ? 

"  That  is  nice  of  you,"  she  said.  "And, 
Captain  Kenneth,  Dick  told  me  how  kind 
you  were  to  him." 

"  He  should  n't  have  told  you,"  he 
said  brusquely.  "  It  was  violation  of  duty, 
and  almost  put  me  in  a  fix." 

"  I  hope  it  did  n't." 

He  could  n't  resist  interrupting. 

u  I  saw  another  kinsman  of  yours  re 
cently,  Mr.  Fairmount." 

He  was  tempted  to  tell  the  whole  story, 
and,  then,  his  intention  made  him  angry. 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  am  sorry  I  can't  wait,"  he  began 
conventionally  enough. 

"  Oh,  but  you  know  you  must." 

"  I  wish  I  might.  Please  give  my 
respects  to  Mr.  Jervon,"  he  said,  spring 
ing  to  the  saddle.  "  And  good-bye,  Miss 
Jervon." 

But  he  did  not  look  back. 

"  Hurry,  Finch,  we  must  make  up  for 
lost  time." 

Once,  in  the  course  of  that  day,  he 
caught  himself  saying, 

"  Heavens,  what  a  mess  God  and  man 
have  made  of  this  world  !  " 

He  remembered  how,  after  his  escape 
from  the  chimney,  he  himself  had  donned 
the  livery  of  the  king  in  the  shape  of  that 
coat  of  scarlet  which  was  the  particular 
color  of  her  brother's,  Captain  Jervon's 
regiment  under  Burgoyne.  It  seemed  fit 
ting  that  this  coat  should  have  been  not 
merely  red,  but  scarlet,  as  typifying  some 
thing  of  a  particular  and  intense  meaning. 
He  had  been  different  since  that  moment ; 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

and  now  to  his  tried  and  disturbed  fancy 
it  signified  a  traitor's  coat.  Fairmount  was 
the  capable  trickster,  always  doffing  and 
donning  again  this  livery  of  scarlet.  And 
yet,  was  not  he  himself  wearing  it  ?  should 
he  hide  his  knowledge  of  the  man's  treach 
ery  ?  The  insignificant  act  of  having 
worn  Captain  Jervon's  regimentals  of  that 
particular  scarlet  became  again  significant 
to  Kenneth's  distorted  fancy. 


Chapter  VIII. 

How  Captain  Kenneth  reported  to 
the  Commander-in-Chief  encamped 
then  at  Dobbs  Ferry ;  how  he 
found  himself  in  the  power  of  an 
insidious  enemy ;  and  how  Gen 
eral  Washington  at  last  was  per 
suaded  to  the  famous  march 
against  Lord  Cornwallis. 

TT  took  ten  days  for  General  de  la 
Fayette  to  communicate  with  his 
chief,  a  period,  to  his  present  messenger, 
fearfully  long.  The  Captain  of  Armand's 
had  only  his  thoughts,  his  fears,  and  for 
some  reason  an  unusual  depression,  against 
his  nature,  a  foreboding  of  he  knew  not 
what.  And  strangely  he  still  found  him 
self  vacillating  j  now  deciding,  as  was  in- 
154 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

deed  bounden  duty,  to  tell  General 
Washington  what  he  knew  of  Fair-mount 
from  Banastre  Tarleton  ;  and  again  he 
knew  he  could  not ;  for  he  remem 
bered  this  would  hurt  the  girl  he  had 
left  that  morning  in  Virginia. 

And  how  preciously  considerate  our 
brave  trooper  again  was  of  another's  feel 
ing  !  And  this,  too,  was  against  his 
nature.  He  could  not  understand;  and 
knew  himself,  always  a  known  quantity, 
suddenly  an  unknown  one. 

At  Philadelphia,  a  great,  brilliantly 
gay  place,  after  his  long  campaigning,  he 
stopped  for  a  half  day  to  lay  some  of 
his  General's  perplexities  before  Robert 
Morris. 

That  calm,  self-held  man  he  found,  too, 
the  least  irritable. 

"The  Marquis  wants  money,  General 
Washington  demands  it.  But  how  am  I 
to  get  it  ?  If  the  new  French  loan  only 
would  appear !  But  it  has  n't,  Captain 
Kenneth." 

'55 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Yet  you  can't  blame  the  men.  They 
have  to  eat ;  to  live ;  their  pay  is  so  much 
in  arrears.  You  don't  know,  sir,  the 
trouble  we  have  to  hold  them.  You  do 
know  the  Marquis  has  drawn  again  and 
again  on  his  own  resources." 

"  I  know  we  owe  him  a  deal.  I 
know  —  But,  Captain  Kenneth,  I  am 
at  my  wit's  end ;  I  borrow  here,  and 
there,  in  driblets.  But,  —  I  will  do  what 
I  can.  I  promise  to  send  General  de 
la  Fayette  something,  —  to-morrow  cer 
tainly.  I  don't  know  how  I  shall  do  it, 
but  I  will,  —  in  some  way.  I  have  to 
make  General  Washington  a  remittance 
on  the  same  day.  I  don't  know  how  I 
shall  do  that.  But,"  he  added  smiling, 
"  we  bring  everything  about.  We  may 
find  a  way  for  this.  The  trouble  is  the 
country  is  drained  even  of  its  shillings, 
and  the  people  tired  of  war.  The  pros 
pect  is  dark." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Captain  of  Armand's, 
voicing  his  own  depression ;  and,  then,  his 

156 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

nature  resenting  that  unnatural  condition, 
u  but  we  must  find  a  way." 

"  Ah,  we  will,"  said  this  first  of  the 
adroit  financiers  of  whom  the  United  States 
since  has  produced  so  many,  yet  none  who 
had  to  cope  with  mightier  problems. 

Again  Kenneth  was  on  the  road,  think 
ing  of  his  troubles,  which  after  all  he  said 
some  days  were  delusions.  He  simply 
would  state  the  case  to  the  General-in- 
Chief;  and,  yet,  the  next  hour,  he  again 
had  reached  the  other  conclusion. 

Coming  Northward  he  heard  the  Chief 
was  encamped  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  and  the 
French  on  the  hills  at  the  East  in  a  single 
line  reaching  to  the  Bronx.  At  Dobbs 
Ferry,  late  the  July  afternoon,  Kenneth's 
good  friend  Colonel  Pemberton  told  him 
the  General-in-Chief  was  in  the  Comte  de 
Rochambeau's  lines. 

"  You  don't    know    the    gay    time   we 

are  having,  Jack,"   Pemberton  said  gayly. 

"  You  would  n't  think  it  was  more  than 

a  review  among  those  French  chaps.     We 

I57 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

have  barn  dances  for  lack  of  better  places, 
and  my  wife  tells  me  confidentially  that 
she  has  quite  lost  her  heart  to  Berthier  of 
Rochambeau's  staff." 

"  I  suppose  you  are  jealous." 

"  Oh,  I  say,  a  fellow  feels  it  a  personal 
compliment  when  his  taste  is  applauded. 
It 's  almost  funny  to  see  some  of  these 
young  gentlemen  from  Versailles  with 
their  fine  white  and  green  that  leave  us 
a  terribly  seedy  lot.  They  are  here,  as 
if  out  for  a  dance.  But,  Jack,  what 's 
the  matter  with  you  ?  You  look  down 
hearted.  You  have  had  too  much  hard 
work,  I  believe,  there  in  Virginia.  A 
man  can't  stand  everything." 

So  this  brave,  boastful  Pemberton  chat 
tered  on.  He,  too,  had  known  much  that 
Kenneth  had ;  and  like  him  had  a  brother 
killed  on  the  other  side.  They  had  been 
friends  in  the  quiet  days,  and  were  still, 
although  the  fortune  of  war  had  kept  them 
apart.  Nearing  the  destination,  they  heard 
a  military  band  at  a  jovial  air.  The  July 

158 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

twilight  was  rising.  The  sky  hovered 
cloudless.  And  there  in  an  open  grassy 
place  were  tinkling  glasses,  and  the  glint 
of  trappings.  On  some  camp  tables  were 
plans  of  Trenton,  and  of  West  Point. 

"  You  see  that 's  rather  a  neat  piece 
of  military  construction,"  said  the  Count 
Dumas,  to  whom  Pemberton  had  intro 
duced  Kenneth,  and  who  was  pleased  to 
find  one  understanding  his  tongue.  "  You 
see  how  it 's  builded,  of  gingerbread,  knives, 
forks,  and  spoons.  Eh,  Captain,  I  hope  we 
shall  be  able  to  do  something.  By  the  way, 
how  charming  your  American  ladies  are ! " 

But  the  Count  Dumas  stopped,  drawing 
himself  up  very  straight,  for  Pemberton 
approached  with  no  less  a  personage  than 
the  General-in-Chief. 

"  You  are  from  the  Marquis  ?  " 

"  For  that  reason  alone  I  ventured  to 
interrupt,  Your  Excellency." 

He  handed  the  dispatches. 

u  Kenneth,"  the  General  said  finally, 
"  I  see  that  my  confidence  in  the  Marquis 
IS9 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

has  not  been  misplaced.  He  has  done 
well  indeed.  But  you  can  explain.  Come, 
we  will  sit  down." 

Carefully  Kenneth  reviewed  the  situa 
tion,  referring  finally  to  the  explanation 
they  first  had  had  from  Fairmount  that 
the  reason  for  Lord  Cornwallis'  conduct 
in  Virginia  was  from  Sir  Henry's  order, 
and  his  need  of  additional  troops. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Chief  slowly,  "I 
understand  that.  Sir  Henry  is  afraid  for 
New  York.  The  proposition  Fairmount 
made  for  us  to  march  to  Virginia  is  one 
I  long  have  entertained.  But,  Captain 
Kenneth,  it 's  a  dangerous  expedient,  de 
pendent  on  the  exact  co-operation  of  the 
different  forces,  nor  have  we  sure  informa 
tion  from  the  Comte  de  Grasse." 

He  paused,  looking  at  Kenneth  keenly. 

"  What  do  you  think  is  Fairmount's 
object  in  approaching  us  ?  Being  a  Vir 
ginian,  you,  of  course,  know  him  ?  " 

"  He  has  not  hesitated  to  state  his  belief 
that  we  shall  win." 

160 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  How  can  he,  at  this  juncture  ?  Yet, 
Captain  Kenneth,  he  is  of  the  shrewd 
est  of  my  acquaintance.  He  has  great 
interests  in  our  State,  and  I  am  glad 
he  has  concluded  to  be  on  our  side. 
At  this  crisis  we  need  all  we  can  get, 
—  men,  influence,  money.  I  am  hard 
put  to  it  for  all  three.  I  have  not  over 
five  thousand  men  to-day,  when  I  ought 
to  have  fifteen.  The  State  Assemblies 
won't  and  can't  respond.  I  tell  you,  Cap 
tain  Kenneth,  it  sometimes  is  darker  in 
these  days  than  it  was,  even  after  Long 
Island.  As  for  the  march  de  la  Fayette 
has  suggested,  or  Jerome  Fairmount,  that 
only  can  be  a  last  resort,  you  know.  It 
is  too  dangerous.  As  I  say,  I  have  had 
it  in  mind." 

Kenneth  fidgeted.  Why  did  he  not 
tell  that  he  knew  of  Fairmount's  treach 
ery  ?  Yet  he  could  not. 

"  I  suppose  they  '11  not  talk  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  they  will  not,  Your  Ex 
cellency." 

ii  161 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Still  you  know  how  it  is  about  too 
many  cooks.  And  Jerome  Fairmount  ?  " 

Kenneth  hesitated,  yet  "  I  don't  know  " 
was  all  he  said. 

"  I  can  understand  you  don't,"  said  the 
General,  whose  way  with  men  was  to 
have  the  appearance  of  consulting  them, 
when  really  he  relied  and  acted  on  his 
own  reason,  circumstances  permitting. 
"  But  this  extraordinary  march,  Captain, 
at  the  best,  is  extremely  improbable  ;  al 
most  impossible.  I  don't  believe  Sir 
Henry,  should  he  hear  it,  would  believe  I 
could  dare  it.  In  the  event  of  my  acting 
on  it  I  should  not  let  those  nearest  me 
know.  It  would  be  probably  between 
the  Comte  de  Rochambeau,  the  Comte 
de  Grasse,  and  me.  So  I  don't  know  it 
makes  difference  now  if  the  notion  may 
have  occurred  to  several  persons.  At  any 
rate  for  a  time  we  will  keep  up  demonstra 
tions  against  New  York." 

This  left  Kenneth  thinking.  The  Gen 
eral  was  contemplating  the  Virginian  expe- 
162 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

dition,  and  perhaps  it  occurred  to  the  Chief 
he  was  saying  too  much  even  to  this  discreet 
Captain  of  Armand's,  for  he  added  :  "  It 's 
extreme  improbability  at  the  best,  the  very 
best.  Bear  that  in  mind,  Captain." 

"  I  may  bear  much  in  mind,  Your 
Excellency,  but  not  on  my  lips,"  said 
Kenneth  smiling. 

"  And  it  indeed  depends  on  Monsieur 
de  Grasse.  You  say  the  Marquis  has  ad 
vice  that  he  may  sail  for  the  Chesapeake  ? 
Neither  de  Rochambeau  nor  I  have  that." 

"  I  suppose  it  was  a  letter  from  Ver 
sailles,  yet  probably  surmise." 

"  Probably.  Captain,  won't  you  join 
us  ?  I  shall  be  glad  to  make  a  faithful 
officer,  who  never  has  had  his  deserts, 
known  to  the  French  officers,  His  Ex 
cellency,  Count  de  Rochambeau,  and  the 
Duke  de  Lauzun,  whom  you  will  like." 

u  If  Your  Excellency  will  excuse  me, 
I  am  dusty,  and  tired  out.  I  covered 
many  miles  to-day.  I  think  a  bed  will 
be  my  best  doctor." 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  And,  Captain,"  the  General  continued, 
"  you  may  know  that  General  de  la  Fay- 
ette's  recommendation  has  been  noted, 
and  mine  added.  You  have  a  lieutenant 
colonel's  commission,  identical  with 
Henry  Lee's." 

Kenneth  flushed. 

"  Your  Excellency  !  "  he  said  after  a 
moment :  "  I  am  extremely  obliged  ;  but 
Colonel  Armand  deserves  promotion." 

"  He  is  with  Gates  now,  is  n't  he  ?  I 
think  you  are  right.  But  you  have  won 
the  place,  Colonel  Kenneth.  I  dare  say 
you  prefer  to  remain  with  General  de  la 
Fayette  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Your  Excellency." 

"  He  is  much  attached  to  you.  Now, 
good  night,  and  I  hope  you  may  feel  like 
yourself  in  the  morning." 

He  took  Kenneth's  hand,  pressed  it, 
saying  again,  "  Good  night,  Colonel." 

Yet  Kenneth  felt  no  elation;  only  the 
dull  sense  of  depression,  to  which  were 
added  aches  in  every  muscle.  He  was 
164 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

conscious  of  speaking  crossly  to  Pemberton. 
No,  thanks,  he  would  n't  do  anything  at 
all  save  turn  to  bed  ;  he  was  not  com 
panionable  for  a  civilized  man.  A  little 
later  he  found  himself  swearing  at  Finch, 
who  looked  surprise.  What  had  come 
over  his  master  ? 

What  indeed,  he  himself  asked,  toss 
ing  that  night.  He  had  betrayed  his 
duty  in  releasing  the  girl's  brother  ;  and 
now  in  not  telling  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  what  he  had  from  Colonel  Tarleton 
about  Fairmount.  Once,  twice,  he  had 
clarity  in  the  night  stillness  undisturbed 
but  by  passing  challenge.  Yet  what,  after 
all,  did  Kenneth's  silence  signify  ?  Gen 
eral  Washington  had  said  he  understood 
this  Fairmount.  Doubtless  he  would  take 
all  information  from  that  quarter  with  due 
caution.  But  the  fact  remained  that  he, 
Kenneth,  should  have  told  ;  he  was  not 
relieved  from  his  own  dishonesty.  For  it 
was  plain  dishonesty ;  he  could  not  de 
ceive  himself.  And,  again  he  would  see 

165 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

the  girl's  face ;  and  he  knew  he  would 
have  done  it  again,  and  could  not  undo  it 
by  telling  the  General. 

How  hot  he  was  ;  how  the  flesh  burned. 
And  he  thought  his  brother  was  in  the  tent 
by  his  side,  talking  as  he  had  long  ago ;  and 
they  were  in  the  old  house,  —  the  dear, 
brave  Malcolm,  so  much  better  than  he, 
—  he,  who  had  died  in  the  battle.  For 
while  he  talked  with  him  he  knew  he  was 
dead,  and  yet  he  still  talked  on. 

And  so,  talking  loudly,  and  crying  out 
strangely,  Finch  found  him  in  the  morn 
ing  ;  and,  frighted,  rushed  to  Colonel 
Pemberton  ;  and  when  Pemberton  came, 
he  stood  for  a  moment,  and  Kenneth,  still 
talking,  did  not  see  him  although  his  eyes 
were  on  him. 

"  Damn  it !  "  said  Pemberton,  getting 
up  from  his  knees  by  the  camp-bed. 
"  Your  master  has  the  fever.  Quick  ! 
get  Doctor  Jackson." 

The  surgeon  came,  and  looked  down  ; 
and  shook  his  head. 

1 66 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  It 's  those  James  River  bottoms,  Pem- 
berton,  and  a  man  who  's  lost  sleep  and 
regular  food.  But  we  will  see  what  we 
can  do." 

Yet  days  passed,  and  Kenneth  still  lay 
there,  not  knowing  all  the  new  events; 
how  the  General-in-Chief  had  been  disap 
pointed  of  reinforcements,  but  how  with 
his  ally  he  had  made  further  feints  against 
New  York ;  and  how  Sir  Henry,  per 
suaded  that  his  post  was  the  object  of  his 
enemy's  attack,  wrote  Lord  Cornwallis  to 
order  three  regiments  from  the  Carolinas ; 
how  at  last  on  August  I4th,  the  Comte 
de  Grasse's  dispatch  came  to  Comte  de 
Rochambeau  that  he  would  be  in  the 
Chesapeake  in  September ;  and  how  the 
resolution  was  taken  for  that  long  four 
hundred  miles  against  Lord  Cornwallis. 

Everything  depended  on  exact  secrecy  ; 
that  no  deserter  might  carry  the  news  of 
the  real  destination.  Even  those  trusted 
in  the  generals'  counsels  declared  they  did 
not  suspect.  Sir  Henry  thought  the  move- 

I67 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ment  was  one  to  seize  Staten  Island  and 
co-operate  with  the  French  fleet.  But  he 
was  undeceived.  The  allied  armies  kept 
on  to  Philadelphia.  General  Arnold's 
raid  into  Connecticut  did  not  distract. 
Sir  Henry  must  have  been  in  consterna 
tion,  when  he  heard  of  it  all. 

The  Americans  first  marched  through 
the  capital,  their  officers  and  staffs  mostly 
well  uniformed  now,  but  the  line  still 
rather  ragged. 

The  next  day  came  Monsieur  de  Ro- 
chambeau's  contingent  into  the  smiling 
town,  its  white  uniforms  and  green  facings 
all  neatly  brushed. 

"  They  made  me  ashamed,"  Colonel 
Pemberton  wrote  to  Kenneth  who  was 
convalescent,  perhaps  thanks  to  Surgeon 
Jackson's  copious  blood  letting.  "  Why, 
we  were  a  dirty  lot,  I  can  tell  you ;  and 
were  ashamed  of  ourselves  when  the 
women  cheered  from  the  windows.  Not 
that  I  should  care  so  much  when  I  have  a 
wife ;  but,  then,  a  man  likes  to  appear 
168 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

decently.  And  the  next  day  when  the 
Frenchies  came,  looking  as  if  they  were 
just  out  for  a  review  before  their  king,  I 
tell  you  we  were  n't  proud.  But  the 
people  seemed  to  remember  that  we  have 
done  something." 

"  Well,  Philadelphia  cheered,  and  the 
French  officers  were  dined  and  wined ; 
and  financier  Morris  borrowed  twenty 
thousand  hard  dollars  from  Monsieur  de 
Rochambeau  just  to  make  our  poor  devils 
imagine  there  might  be  more  coming. 
And  then  we  kept  on;  rather  fearful  I 
tell  you,  Jack,  for  only  God  knows 
whether  we  shall  get  there  before  my 
Lord  of  Cornwallis  may  give  us  the 
slip." 

The  Marquis,  however,  was  taking  care 
of  that  part,  calling  on  the  new  Governor 
Nelson  for  more  militia,  ordering  General 
Wayne  to  join  General  Greene,  and  then 
writing  him  the  truth,  that  he  should  go 
no  farther  than  to  the  south  of  the  James 
to  cut  off  his  Lordship's  retreat. 
169 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Then  the  "  little  "  General  had  a  fright. 
He  thought  his  foe  about  to  sail  away. 
In  haste  he  wrote  the  General-in-Chief, 
frighting  him  in  turn,  already  disturbed 
enough  by  lack  of  news  from  Comte  de 
Grasse's  essential  fleet.  But  whether 
His  Lordship  underrated  his  danger,  or 
the  British  admiral  was  in  fault,  he  did 
not  at  once  avail  himself  of  his  means  of 
flight,  but  kept  on  with  sturdy  British 
doggedness  at  the  York  Town  works. 

Now  at  the  head  of  the  Elk,  which  the 
allies  had  reached,  this  notice  was  sent : 
"  It  is  with  the  highest  pleasure  and  satis 
faction  that  the  Commander-in-Chief  an 
nounces  to  the  Army  the  arrival  of  Count 
de  Grasse  in  the  Chesapeake  with  a  very 
favorable  naval  and  land  force." 

Ah,  you  may  believe  it  was  with  satis 
faction  !  Monsieur  de  Grasse  was  ar 
rived  ;  the  Marquis  de  Saint-Simon  had 
landed  his  little  army  to  co-operate  with 
the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette ;  and  lastly,  — 
although  this  some  days  later, — Monsieur 
170 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

de  Grasse  gave  fight  to  Admiral  Graves 
outside  the  capes,  and  while  a  drawn 
battle,  His  British  Majesty's  commander 
held  it  prudent  to  withdraw.  Then  Louis 
XV.'s  other  admiral,  de  Barras,  hove  in 
sight,  —  de  Grasse's  superior  in  rank,  if 
not  in  this  command.  With  two  captured 
frigates  the  two  admirals  now  turned  to 
the  blockade. 

The  meantime  the  land  forces  were 
marching  merrily  to  the  meeting. 

The  Commander-in-Chief  had  left  them 
some  days  previous  to  visit  his  house  of 
Mount  Vernon,  for  the  first  time,  in  fact, 
during  six  horribly  long  years.  There  he 
dined  the  Comte  de  Rochambeau,  and 
then  rode  away  to  Williamsburg,  the  point 
of  meeting  before  York  Town,  reaching 
there,  indeed,  in  advance  of  his  army, 
which  appeared  to  be  lagging. 

Then  before  the  Commander-in-Chief 

went  out   on  the   bay  to    arrange  details 

with  Admiral  de  Grasse,  he  waited  to  dine 

with  the   Marquis  de  Saint-Simon,  —  that 

171 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

nobleman  insisting  on  giving  a  dinner  to 
the  officers  of  the  various  commands. 

At  that  dinner  was  present  Kenneth, 
the  new  Lieutenant-colonel  of  an  inde 
pendent  troop,  now  Aide  to  the  General 
de  la  Fayette. 

He  had  remained  with  General  Heath's 
command,  a  convalescent,  irritated  at  lack 
of  strength.  Certainly  disease  had  seized 
when  events  were  most  interesting.  For 
much  had  occurred  during  the  few  days  of 
his  fierce  attack  by  the  enemy  in  the 
blood.  Yet  again  his  head  was  clear; 
the  phantasmagoria  of  the  days  before  he 
had  been  taken  had  passed.  He  now  saw 
the  situation  clearly,  and  he  said  the  reason 
for  his  weakness  had  been  in  the  fever. 
Ah,  he  was  sure.  Being  again  a  clear 
headed  man  with  the  fever  out  of  him,  he 
saw  that  Charlotte  Jervon  was  rather  a 
nice  person  who  had  appealed  to  his  sym 
pathies.  He  was  not  sorry  for  that,  he 
was  certain.  Nor  had  his  omission  to 
report  what  he  knew  of  Jerome  Fairmount 
172 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

apparently  led  to  bad  result :  the  march  to 
the  South  had  been  undertaken ;  and  bade 
fair  to  be  successful ;  yet  his  course  had 
been  blameworthy,  he  acknowledged  ;  and 
was  due  to  the  fever,  he  said  again  with 
his  sudden  wish  to  exonerate  himself  with 
himself. 

Sylvester  of  the  staff  visited  him  one 
day. 

"  I  am  back  with  an  important  message 
to  General  Heath,  but  only  for  a  day. 
Fairmount  ?  Oh,  that  chap  is  hand  in 
glove  with  us.  They  say  he  is  spoken  of 
as  candidate  for  governor  when  Governor 
Nelson  chooses  to  get  out.  You  know  it 
will  be  a  matter  of  choice  with  Nelson. 
A  bit  of  a  Tory,  did  you  think  him  ? 
Well,  if  Fairmount  were,  he  apparently 
is  n't  now.  I  'm  glad  you  are  better. 
Jackson  says  you  are  the  most  unruly 
subject  he  ever  had  on  his  hands.  You 
will  be  in  the  saddle  in  a  week.  Did 
he  tell  you  that  ?  Oh,  he  did  n't.  But 
cheer  up." 

173 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

And  this  brave,  laughing  Sylvester  (who 
had  been  like  Pemberton,  a  captain  of 
Smallwood's)  went  out,  leaving  his  smile 
behind.  Poor  Kenneth,  who  never  had 
been  an  invalid,  turned  to  his  letters.  One 
was  from  the  Marquis,  who  remembered 
his  stricken  Captain,  the  new  Lieutenant- 
colonel.  Kenneth  looked  up  from  his 
General's  cheering  words  to  think  of  what 
Sylvester  had  said. 

And  how  was  Charlotte  Jervon,  who 
was  promised  to  this  coolly  politic  indi 
vidual  ?  Kenneth  felt  his  face  flushing, 
and  just  then  Finch  brought  a  letter  in  a 
woman's  hand. 

DEAR  CAPTAIN  KENNETH,  —  I  am  sorry  to 
know  of  your  illness,  but  now  you  are  better. 
My  uncle  and  Jerome,  who  says  he  liked  you 
so  much, —  "the  liar,"  Kenneth  muttered, — 
join  in  sending  you  warm  regards.  Dick  is  with 
Lord  Cornwallis.  We  haven't  heard  from  him  in 
a  longtime.  YVs  faithfully,  dear  Captain  Ken 
neth,  C.  JERVON. 

He  read  it  again,  again  ;  and  did  not  like 
that  "Jerome."      But — bother  the  girl! 
174 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

He  was  thinking  altogether  too  much  of 
her.  And  he  would  not,  he  declared  again. 
What  he  would  do  was  to  get  his  strength, 
and  report  to  his  new  command  with  the 
Marquis. 

Possibly  the  will  has  to  do  with  speedy 
convalescence ;  for  in  a  few  days  he  was 
in  the  saddle,  and  started  South  despite 
Surgeon  Jackson's  exclamations.  The  air 
and  movement  brought  strength.  Nearing 
Williamsburg  he  felt  as  himself.  He  did 
not  make  a  detour  this  time  to  Jervon 
House.  That  "  Jerome "  in  her  letter 
deterred,  if  nothing  else.  He  at  least  was 
strong  enough. 

Presently  he  was  in  the  lines,  and  had 
found  his  General.  Yes;  de  la  Fayette 
had  missed  Kenneth. 

"  You  will  have  your  troop  too,  dear 
Captain,  —  dear  Colonel,  I  mean.  Oh,  by 
the  way,  your  old  commander,  the  Marquis 
de  la  Ronarie  is  here." 

u  Armand  here  ?  "  Kenneth  cried,  for 
he  liked  this  French  nobleman  to  whom 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

he  owed  his  military  chance.  And  Ar- 
mand  his  old  subaltern  saw  that  night  at 
the  Marquis  de  Saint-Simon's  dinner. 
Kenneth  always  was  serving  under  French 
men,  but  as  has  been  said  he  never  had 
asked  favors  and  had  served  where  he  had 
a  chance. 

The  Saint-Simon  dinner  was  a  joyous 
occasion.  If  everybody  were  impressed 
with  the  great  moment,  they  were  serious 
over  it,  not  underrating  the  adversary  al 
though  he  was  cornered.  His  old  friends 
were  there,  Kenneth  found,  and  he  him 
self,  with  the  praise  of  the  General-in- 
Chief  and  of  his  own  corps,  too,  a  person 
of  some  greater  importance  than  ever 
before.  Pemberton,  the  honest,  simple 
Pemberton,  could  not  see  enough  of  him, 
and  —  Who  was  this  person  ? 

"  I  am  glad,  Colonel  Kenneth,  to  see 
you  again." 

It  was  Jerome  Fairmount,  calm,  tri 
umphant,  the  friend  of  Governor  Nelson 
now,  of  General  Washington,  the  great 
176 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

land-owner  on  the  right  side.  Did  the 
fellow  know  he  knew  of  his  treachery  ? 
He  hesitated  about  his  hand.  He,  Ken 
neth,  really  had  protected  this  man ;  and 
he  loathed  the  fellow,  and  could  not,  would 
not  take  his  hand. 

u  You  have  the  advantage  of  me,"  he 
said  coolly,  glaring  into  the  other's  face, 
and  he  added.  "  You  are  too  much  a 
liar,  pretender." 

The  words  were  coolly  distinct.  Men 
stopped  in  talk. 

For  a  moment  Jerome  Fairmount  looked 
at  him,  and  hesitated,  as  if  deliberating 
whether  to  challenge  j  whether  he  should 
answer. 

"  Colonel  Burton  will  wait  on  you  — 
your  second  —  in  my  behalf,"  he  said  at 
last,  breathing  hard. 

The  others  understood ;  a  whisper  ran 
along  the  table. 

"  On  me,  Mr.  Fairmount,  with  Colonel 
Kenneth's  permission,"  Robert  Pemberton 
was  saying. 

12  177 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Very  well,  Colonel  Pemberton,"  said 
Fairmount  bowing  coldly,  and  turning  to 
his  seat. 

Kenneth  felt  that  at  last  a  long  deceit 
was  over. 

An  orderly  approached. 

"  Colonel  Kenneth,  may  I  see  you  a 
moment  ?  " 

"  It 's  this,  sir,"  said  the  man,  when 
they  were  by  themselves  where  the  eyes 
from  the  table  followed. 

He  handed  a  note. 

"DEAR  COLONEL  KENNETH,"  it  ran.  She 
then  knew  of  his  promotion.  "I  must  see  you 
for  a  moment, — at  once,  —  on  a  matter  of  the 
greatest  importance.  C.  JERVON." 

"  Where  —  ?  "  he  said,  turning  to  the 
orderly. 

"  Miss  Jervon,  and  her  servants,  sir, 
are  waiting  at  your  quarters." 


Chapter  IX. 

How  Lieutenant-colonel  Kenneth 
came  to  be  censured  by  The 
Commander-in-Chief. 


VENTS  had  followed  one  another 
confusedly  ;  his  insult  to  Fairmount 
(perhaps  from  his  own  pent-up  feeling  ; 
perhaps  from  Marquis  de  Saint-Simon's 
good  wine),  and  the  surprising  summons 
from  the  young  woman  who  really  was 
behind  all  this.  Kenneth  was  like  a  man 
in  a  dream  when  he  followed  the  orderly 
from  the  lights,  the  vivacity,  the  splendor 
of  that  banquet  into  the  outer  gloom. 

"  Miss  Jervon  !  "  he  began,  noting  every 
line  of  her  features,  almost  with  a  lover's 
jealousy. 

"  Yes,  Captain,  —  Colonel  Kenneth,  I 
mean.  I  must  congratulate  you,  I  be 
lieve." 

179 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  must  congratulate  myself  on  seeing 
you  again,"  he  said  with  a  bit  of  stiff 
formality. 

His  lips  may  have  been  capable  only 
of  those  phrases  because  he  remem 
bered  he  just  had  insulted  her  cousin, 
her  lover,  her  fiance.  He  repeated  all 
these  epithets. 

"  And  now,  Colonel  Kenneth,"  she 
said,  her  voice  trembling  a  little,  "  I 
have  to  beg  a  favor.  I  must  get  to  Lord 
Cornwallis'  camp  at  York  Town.  My 
brother  is  wounded.  I  don't  know  how 
badly." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  said,  "  believe  me." 

"  I  do,  Colonel  Kenneth.  I  am  sure 
you  are." 

He  noticed  she  wore  the  dark  green 
habit  she  had  when  she  had  met  him  last 
at  the  door  of  Jervon  House.  "  And  so  I 
came  to  you.  I  had  a  pass  into  your 
lines ;  but  now  the  officer  in  charge  will 
not  let  me  go  out  toward  York  Town." 

"  His  order,  I  suppose.     I  will  inquire." 
180 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"At  once,  please.  Every  moment 
counts." 

"  You  are  not  alone  ?  " 

"  I  have  five  men.  My  uncle  chose 
them.  He  says  he  never  was  mistaken  in 
the  purchase  of  a  servant,  and  these  are 
very  faithful.  Do  not  be  alarmed  on  that 
account." 

"  And  how  is  Mr.  Jervon  ?  " 

"  He  is  rather  well,  thank  you,  con 
sidering  how  badly  he  usually  is.  Now 
he  is  much  depressed  about  Lord  Corn- 
wallis.  I  heard  him  tell  William,  only 
last  night ;  '  Come,  William,  carry  me 
up  to  bed.  It  Js  high  time  for  me  to 
die.'  "  i 

"  May  I  see  the  pass,  Miss  Jervon  ?  " 

He  hesitated.  "  You  know  Mr.  Fair- 
mount  is  here  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Colonel  Kenneth." 

1  The  remark  is  one  attributed  to  Lord  Fairfax 
on  hearing  of  the  surrender  of  York  Town.  His 
Lordship  was  in  much  the  same  physical  condition 
as  Mr.  Jervon. 

181 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  And  why  —  ?  " 

"  Well,  —  he  is  n't  in  the  army." 

"  He  is  influential  with  General  Wash 
ington.  And  —  " 

"  Are  you  sorry  I  came  to  you  ?  " 

"  No,  but  —  " 

She  interrupted  coldly, 

u  Naturally  Mr.  Fairmount  would  do 
anything  for  me.  But  at  the  same  time 
he  might  prevent  me  going  to  Dick." 

"  And  I  will  not  ?  " 

"  No,  you  will  help  me,"  she  said 
decidedly. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  It  is  not  with 
out  danger  for  you  to  cross  to  their  lines 
in  the  night.  I  don't  think  less  of  you 
than,  —  Fairmount." 

u  You  must,"  she  said.  She  looked 
him  full  in  the  face.  "  You  must  help 
me,  Colonel  Kenneth,  for  I  must  get  to 
Dick." 

u  Forgive  me ;  he  is  dear  to  you." 

"  And  wounded." 

"  I  will  see  what  I  can  do,"  he  said. 
182 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Please  sit  down,  and  rest.  You  have  a 
hard  ride  before  you." 

"  Then  you  think  you  can  ?  " 

"  I  will  try." 

"  Thank  you,  —  much." 

The  words  followed  him  as  he  went  to 
the  officer  of  the  patrols. 

"  It 's  my  orders,  Colonel  Kenneth,"  this 
officer  said,  "  from  the  General-in-Chief. 
I  don't  dare  transgress.  I  could  n't,  you 
know." 

"  It 's  a  serious  case,  Major  Wynne," 
Kenneth  said.  "  It 's  but  common  human 
ity.  Miss  Jervon's  brother  is  wounded  ; 
she  does  n't  know  how  badly.  I  will  be 
responsible  to  the  General-in-Chief." 

"  Write  that  down,  over  your  sig 
nature,  Colonel.  You  will  be  respon 
sible." 

"  Yes,"  and  he  wrote  it.  "  The  Gen 
eral  is  at  that  dinner.  I  don't  want  to 
interrupt  him  now ;  and  Miss  Jervon  must 
not  be  made  to  wait." 

u  Very   well,   Colonel    Kenneth,"   said 

183 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Wynne,  vising  the  pass.  "  It 's  only  my 
position ;  but  I  '11  risk  it,  on  your  word." 

"  You  are  entirely  right,  Major  Wynne," 
Kenneth  replied,  hastening  back  with  the 
pass ;  and  telling  her,  and  hearing  her 
thanks. 

He  followed  her  out,  and  helped  her  to 
mount. 

"  I  hate  to  have  you  go  alone.  It  is 
dangerous.  But  I  can't  go  myself,  now. 
It  would  take  a  deal  of  formality  for 
leave,  could  I  get  it ;  and  it  only  would 
delay  you." 

u  I  know,"  she  said  j  "  I  know,  Colonel 
Kenneth." 

"  And  who  is  the  leader  ?  Oh,  I  see, 
—  William." 

"  My  uncle  let  me  have  him,  —  poor 
uncle." 

Kenneth  was  speaking  to  this  fellow, 
telling  him  to  be  careful ;  to  look  after  his 
mistress  ;  although  knowing  he  would  do 
his  best. 

"  Good   night,  Colonel   Kenneth,"   she 

184 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

called  back  as  the  darkness  of  the  clouded 
night  absorbed  the  little  troop,  and  the 
hoof  clatter  too  faded. 

Kenneth  had  forgotten  the  dinner ;  and 
the  insult  to  Fairmount.  Now  he  re 
membered.  And  she  had  come  to  him, 
Kenneth,  not  to  Fairmount  ?  Yet,  he 
had  insulted  this  Fairmount,  confessedly 
first  with  her. 

Ah,  he  must  be  back  to  his  place  at  the 
table ;  his  absence  would  be  noted  ;  and 
there  would  be  comments.  He  would 
apologize  ;  certainly  would  as  demeaningly 
as  you  pleased. 

At  the  door  he  met  Pemberton. 

"  They  are  breaking  up.  I  have  the 
man's  challenge.  It  is  now.  You  have 
the  choice.  Burton  and  I  have  chosen 
the  place.  It  must  be  in  an  hurry,  or  not 
at  all.  No  one  can  tell  where  any  of  us 
may  be  to-morrow." 

"  A  challenge  !     I  thought  —  " 

"  Oh,  no,  Jerome  Fairmount  could  n't, 
after  that.  He  must  challenge  you,  Ken- 

185 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

neth,  don't  you  see  ?  He  would  lose 
prestige  in  Virginia,  if  he  did  n't.  He 
could  n't  avoid  it,  you  know." 

u  I  was  about  to  apologize  —  " 

"  Apologize  !  Dem  me,  man,  you  can't. 
Absurd  !  " 

He  hated  the  fellow;  was  certain  of 
that ;  and  after  the  unaccountable  treach 
ery  of  giving  that  information  to  Banastre 
Tarleton,  he  had  ever  right  to  hate  him 
and  to  refuse  his  hand  and  to  insult  him. 

"  I  am  rather  good  with  the  sword." 

"The  sword  it  shall  be.  I'll  tell 
Burton.  Are  you  ready  ?  " 

"  Now  ? " 

u  Yes,  they  are  waiting,  Fairmount, 
Burton,  and  Monsieur  Robillard,  Rocham- 
beau's  surgeon.  A  Frenchman  is  more 
professional  in  these  affairs.  We  have 
a  place  where  we  shall  not  be  disturbed, 
among  thick  trees.  It  will  be  by  lantern 
light.  I  have  the  swords." 

He  left  Kenneth  who  walked  up  and 
down  nervously ;  and  every  moment  with 
186 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

fiercer  desire  to  fight  this  calm,  coldly  intel 
lectual  fellow,  this  rascal,  who  took  every 
thing  as  if  merely  an  intellectual  machine. 

Presently  a  little  group  approached. 
Yes,  the  four;  all  closely  muffled.  He 
could  not  mistake  Fairmount's  figure. 
The  French  surgeon  was  talking  to 
Burton  in  a  business-like  manner. 

"  This  way,"  Pemberton  said.  "  Keep 
heart,  old  chap.  We  all  hate  that  fellow. 
He  's  positively  unhuman.  I  won't  say 
inhuman.  He  is  as  bloodless  as  his  ene 
mies  say  General  Washington  is.  But 
the  General  applies  himself  to  public 
affairs,  and  this  one  to  private.  That  's 
one  difference,  with  ten  thousand  others." 

The  inner  lines  were  passed  ;  all  know 
ing  the  word.  Pernberton,  who  was  ac 
quainted  with  Williamsburg,  leading,  they 
came  into  an  open  space.  Monsieur  Ro- 
billard  struck  a  light,  firing  the  two  lanterns, 
and  placing  them  in  a  position  to  shed  a 
glare  over  a  space  of  waving  grass  tops. 
He  opened  a  surgical  case,  the  steel  sending 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

V 

back  a  flame  from  the  lantern.  Burton 
and  Pemberton  examined  the  swords. 
Fairmount  threw  aside  his  cloak.  He 
was  still  calm,  Kenneth  thought,  and  yet 
very  pale.  Had  the  man  then  bravery 
with  which  he  had  n't  credited  him  ? 

"  Now,  if  Colonel  Kenneth  may  think 
it  proper  to  apologize,"  Burton  said. 

"  Colonel  Kenneth  will  not  apologize," 
Kenneth  interrupted.  "  I  would  like  to  say 
a  word  to  Mr.  Fairmount,  but  understand 
distinctly,  gentlemen,  it  is  no  apology." 

"  Well,"  said  Fairmount  aside  to  Ken 
neth  ;  "  what  is  it  ?  " 

u  This  5  Miss  Jervon  was  in  Williams- 
burg  an  hour  ago.  She  came  to  me  —  " 

a  To  you  ?  "  asked  the  other  with  sud 
den  interest. 

"  Yes,  to  me,  sir,"  Kenneth  went  on 
violently,  "instead  of  to  you.  It  was 
strange,  was  n't  it  ?  "  he  continued  with 
conscious  triumph.  "  She  wished  a  permit 
to  pass  to  York  Town.  I  persuaded  Major 
Wynne  to  let  her  have  it." 
188 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

For  the  first  time  in  Kenneth's  knowl 
edge  Fairmount  seemed  to  lose  temper. 

"  You  fool,"  he  cried.  "  And  you  let 
her  run  that  danger  ?  " 

"  For  her  brother  —  wounded." 

"  Is  n't  she  more  than  her  brother  ?  her 
little  finger  more  than  all  the  Captain 
Jervons  in  the  world  ? "  His  manner 
changed.  u  And  she  came  to  you,  instead 
of  to  me  ?  " 

He  turned  to  the  others. 

u  No,  Colonel  Kenneth  does  not  apol 
ogize.  I  think  we  are  ready." 

As  they  stood  opposite,  and  it  began, 
Kenneth  was  conscious  of  rage ;  yet  tried 
to  control  himself,  as  the  first  signal  came. 
He  thought  he  knew  the  fence. 

But  this  civilian's  skill,  the  adroitness 
controlled  by  a  calm  mind,  surprised.  If 
Jerome  Fairmount  had  been  in  rage,  now 
you  could  not  suspect  it.  Every  move 
ment  was  foiled ;  and  Kenneth  was  angry, 
and  was  conscious,  too,  that  he  was  weak 
from  that  wretched  fever.  The  ground 
189 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

was  bad.  Suddenly  he  slipped,  and  was 
on  his  knees,  defending  himself.  A 
thrust  of  Fairmount's  sent  his  weapon 
into  the  tall  grass,  the  light  scintillating. 
For  a  moment  the  armed  and  disarmed 
looked  into  each  other's  eyes,  while  the 
seconds  called.  Fairmount's  point  was 
at  his  foe's  breast ;  his  eyes  coldly  tri 
umphant.  Yet,  suddenly  his  expres 
sion  changed.  Lifting  the  point,  he  said 
quietly,  — 

u  Well,  Colonel  Kenneth,  are  you  sat 
isfied  ? " 

"  No,  I  am  not,"  Kenneth  answered 
on  his  feet.  "  Why  did  n't  you  kill 
me  ? " 

"  For  reasons  of  my  own.  I  came  near 
doing  it,  I  '11  confess." 

"  Well,  sir,  to  your  guard  again.  Pem- 
berton,  my  sword  !  " 

"  1 11  not  fight  you,"  said  the  challenger. 
"  Don't  provoke  me,  if  you  please." 

A   voice  here  interrupted    hurriedly,  of 
an  aide  of  the  Commander-in-Chief. 
190 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Gentlemen,"  Sylvester  said,  coming 
breathlessly  into  the  light,  "  you  all  are 
under  arrest,  by  the  General's  order.  You 
are  to  come  to  him,  now." 

Never  had  Kenneth  been  so  chagrined, 
as  he  followed  the  others.  At  head-quar 
ters  the  aide  told  them  to  wait ;  His  Ex 
cellency  wished  to  see  the  principals  first. 

The  Chief  plainly  was  excited. 

"  What 's  this,  gentlemen  ?  "  he  cried. 
"  On  the  eve  of  the  most  important  event 
of  this  war  I  find  you  brawling.  What 
do  you  mean  by  it  ?  I  thought  better  of 
you,  Mr.  Fairmount." 

Fairmount  answered  in  modulated  tone, 

"  Your  Excellency,  I  will  confess  it  my 
fault." 

Kenneth  stood  dumfounded,  and  could 
not  understand  the  statement.  But  he 
should  not  be  outdone  by  his  enemy's 
good  manners ;  he  certainly  must  not  be. 

"  I  gave  the  insult,  Your  Excellency." 

"  Doubtless,  Colonel  Kenneth,"  said 
the  General  with  a  certain  contempt. 
191 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  I  know  the  code  among  all  gentlemen. 
I  suppose  I  must  find  fault  with  manners 
rather  than  with  you.  Privately  you  had 
a  right  to  fight.  I  suppose  Mr.  Fair- 
mount  as  a  private  citizen  is  not  amenable. 
But  with  Colonel  Kenneth  it 's  different. 
He  is  of  the  Army  of  Congress.  He  has 
no  right  to  bring  his  quarrel  in  at  such 
time.  Your  conduct,  Colonel  Kenneth, 
is  criminal." 

"  And  mine,  if  Your  Excellency  please," 
Fairmount  continued.  "  If  I  be  not  in 
the  army,  at  least  I  am  serving  the  cause." 

"  I  know  that  well,  Mr.  Fairmount ; 
no  one  indeed  better  than  I.  Now,  if 
you  please,  will  you  leave  Colonel  Ken 
neth  alone  with  me,  Mr.  Fairmount  ?  I 
will  see  you  in  a  few  moments." 

Fairmount  inclined  his  head,  and  passed 
out,  even  proudly,  Kenneth  fancied ;  and 
he  resented  the  man's  air.  But  the  Chief 
now  declared  more  surprising  anger. 

"  Colonel  Kenneth,  you  are  a  fool." 

"  I  may  be,  Your  Excellency," 
192 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  I  thought  you  were  to  be  trusted." 

"  And  I  have  not  been  ?  " 

u  You  have  been  acting  against  disci 
pline." 

u  Your  Excellency,  what  of  the  other, 
—  the  spy  ?  I  '11  bear  my  share,  but  by 
heavens,  not  all." 

The  General  gave  him  a  keen  glance. 
"  The  spy  ?  "  he  asked,  as  if  curiously. 

u  Well,  perhaps  not  technically  one. 
But  a  fellow  like  Arnold,  betraying  any 
thing  for  his  own  best  chance." 

"  What  do  you  know  of  him  ? " 

u  He  told  Colonel  Tarleton  of  the  papers 
General  de  la  Fayette  sent  you  by  me  July 
last.  Colonel  Tarleton  laid  an  ambush 
for  me ;  caught  me ;  told  me  this  himself. 
I  escaped  by  a  hare's  chance." 

u  You  never  told  me  this." 

"  I  never  did." 

u  But  you  should  have." 

"  I  acknowledge  that." 

He  hesitated. 

"  I  '11  be  frank.  Fairmount  is  betrothed 
13  193 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

to  Miss  Jervon,  whom  I  did  not  wish  to 
hurt." 

"  And  why  now  ?  "  the  Chief  asked 
with  the  same  quiet  curiosity. 

"  But  I  think  she  should  know — that  the 
world  should — this  man's  double-dealing." 

"  I  believe  I  understand  now  your 
provocation  for  the  insult." 

"That  is  the  whole  story,  Your  Ex 
cellency." 

"  Now,  Colonel  Kenneth,  I  '11  tell  you 
something,"  the  Chief  said.  "  I  knew  of 
that  adventure  you  had  with  Colonel 
Tarleton." 

"  You  knew,  sir  ?     From  whom  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Fairmount." 

"  Your  Excellency  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  told  me  himself." 

"  And  what  did  you  say  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  I  need  report  my  re 
marks.  But  this  you  may  know :  Robert 
Morris  has  a  particularly  high  opinion  of 
this  same  Fairmount." 

"  I  acknowledge  that  Fairmount  is 
194 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

clever  enough  to  make  a  pretty  appear 
ance." 

"  Well,  more  than  that,  he  has  made 
great  personal  sacrifices  to  help  this  nation 
financially.  Ask  Robert  Morris." 

"  Am  I  to  understand,  as  I  surmise  now 
to  be  the  case,  that  Your  Excellency  would 
allow  your  agent  to  give  such  information 
to  the  enemy  as  would  imperil  important 
dispatches  from  the  Marquis  to  Your  Ex 
cellency  ?  " 

"  When  a  man  won't  crack  a  nut,  of 
course  he 's  bound  to  say  in  self-defence 
that  it 's  too  hard,  Colonel  Kenneth.  Did 
it  ever  occur  to  you  that  Colonel  Tarleton 
misstated  —  lied  about  —  to  be  accurate  — 
the  sources  of  the  information  he  had 
leading  to  that  ambush  ?  " 

"  It  did  n't." 

"Well,  he  did." 

"  And  how,  pray,  did  Your  Excellency 
know  that  ?  You  say,  from  Mr.  Fair- 
mount  ?  " 

"  Because  I  had   the   same   report  from 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

British  sources;    put  out  with  the  intent 
of  making  me  lose  faith  in  Fairmount." 

"But    you  didn't?     You    asked    Fair- 
mount  himself?  " 
"  Yes." 

"  And  believed  him  ?  " 
"  And  believed  him." 
"  You  had  cause  ?  " 

"  The  best  reason  any  man  can  for  faith 
in  another." 

"And  you  mean  ?  —  he  is  on  our  side  ?  " 
"  I  have  stated  ita" 
Kenneth  hesitated. 

"  Your  Excellency  must  have  thought 
it  strange  that  I  didn't  tell  you  of  my 
adventure." 

"Now   I   have   your   explanation.     As 
for  your  conduct  to-night,  I  should  have 
you  court-martialled  —  reduced  in  rank." 
"  Your  Excellency  should." 
"  But  I  won't,  Colonel  Kenneth.     Only 
do  your  duty  well  the  next  days,  and  this 
shall  be  forgotten." 

"  I  thank  Your  Excellency." 
196 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Good-night,  Colonel  Kenneth.  It  is 
very  late  —  too  late  —  with  our  French 
friends'  dinner,  and  so  much  for  the  mor 
row.  I  expect  to  inspect  the  fleet  by 
Count  de  Grasse's  invitation.  Good-night, 
Colonel." 

That  last  "  good-night "  sounded  kindly 
to  Kenneth,  and  yet  did  not  lessen  his 
pique;  and  he  carried  surprise  and  cha 
grin  outside  to  his  quarters. 

Had  he  been  eager  to  think  ill  of  the 
man,  because  he  wanted  him  to  be  un 
worthy  of  her  ?  How  Fairmount  had 
rated  him  for  suffering  her  to  go  alone  to 
York  Town  !  And  had  she  reached  there 
safely  ?  Had  Kenneth  been  right  in  let 
ting  her  go  ?  He  knew  his  reason,  —  pity 
for  her  suffering  over  Captain  Jervon. 
But  her  little  finger  was  worth  more  than 
all  the  Captain  Jervons,  Fairmount  had 
said ;  and  Fairmount  had  been  right.  His 
regard  was  finer  than  his,  Kenneth's. 
How  vaingloriously  he  had  told  Fairmount 
of  her  appeal  to  him.  He  had  no  right  to 
197 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

that  vainglory ;  she  had  turned  to  him 
simply  because  she  knew  Fairmount  would 
not  suffer  her  to  go;  and  worst,  he  had 
been  at  Fairmount's  mercy,  and  Fairmount 
had  spared  him. 


198 


Chapter  X. 

How  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kenneth, 
by  favor  of  General  de  la  Fayette, 
was  in  the  assault  on  the  Rock 
Redoubt ;  and  how,  taken  through 
his  own  rashness,  he  again  met 
Colonel  Tarleton. 

POSSIBLY  Doctor  Robillard  talked, 
for  this  had  been  an  interesting 
event  to  those  who  held  the  code  d'hon- 
neur,  indeed  the  most  honorable  of  all.  I 
will  not  say  he  did ;  it  may  have  been 
Colonel  Pemberton,  and  of  him,  an  indi 
vidual,  a  bit  given  to  talking  too  much, 
as  his  Memoir  evidences,  it  was  possible. 
And  it  may  be  indeed  that  none  of  these 
talked.  The  affair  had  been  open  enough 
in  all  conscience,  at  so  public  an  occasion 
as  the  Marquis  de  Saint-Simon's  dinner. 
It  was  told  about  very  particularly  even 
199 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

to  the  General-in-Chief's  reprimand ;  al 
though  of  that  nothing  was  said,  save  that 
it  had  been  severe.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Kenneth  was  on  duty  next  day,  and  Colonel 
Pemberton ;  and  Jerome  Fairmount  was 
in  evidence.  He  even  was  in  confer 
ence  with  the  Chief  for  several  hours, 
—  probably  on  a  subject  relating  to  the 
finances. 

Yet  a  little  quarrel  was  not  so  interest 
ing  that  it  could  take  attention  in  matters 
of  the  greatest  moment.  The  troops 
were  moved  forward,  as  the  records  tell, 
and  the  Americans  went  into  permanent 
camp  at  the  right  of  the  Beaverdam 
Creek,  the  French  at  the  left.  There 
was  some  skirmishing  on  the  right  with 
the  Anspach  veterans,  but  the  position 
was  taken  without  particular  interference. 
On  the  morning  of  September  3Oth,  a  sur 
prise  awaited  the  allies  ;  for  the  enemy  had 
retired  from  their  outer  works.  French 
and  Americans  did  not  know  that  His 
Lordship  felt  unequal  to  an  extended 
200 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

operation  with  the  vastly  superior  forces 
now  arrayed  against  him.  He  thought  it 
better  to  withdraw,  to  make  sure  at  least 
of  the  inner  works ;  there  to  wait  the  ex 
pected  arrival  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  by 
sea.  His  Lordship  made  no  doubt  of  that 
aid,  as  he  attested  many  times  after  in 
meeting  criticisms  of  his  generalship. 

Kenneth  was  busied  these  days,  when 
he  indeed  wished  to  forget  himself.  He 
was  piqued  at  the  censure  from  the  Chief, 
considerately  as  this  had  been  put ;  nor 
did  he  relish  the  thought  that  perhaps  he 
had  been  wrong  in  his  estimate  of  Jerome 
Fairmount.  He  still  clung  to  the  "  per 
haps  " ;  still  disliked  the  man,  the  more 
because  he  seemed  to  have  put  him,  Ken 
neth,  in  the  wrong.  If  there  were  the 
excitement  of  taking  the  positions  be 
fore  the  enemy's  works,  there  was  that 
in  Kenneth's  heart  which  made  him  wish 
activity,  and  the  simplicity  of  the  old  time 
when  he  had  not  been  bothered  by  such 
regrets. 

201 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Nor  did  he  care  to  feel  that  he  was  in 
this  man's  debt  for  his  life,  and  he  grasped 
at  straws  in  his  own  justification.  Fair- 
mount  had  said  that  he  would  not  have 
suffered  Miss  Jervon  to  cross  that  night  to 
the  enemy.  But  her  uncle,  Surdam  Jervon, 
had  permitted  it.  Yet  this  rankled  :  that 
Fairmount  would  have  so  influenced  her  as 
to  have  prevented  it ;  and  that  Kenneth 
had  yielded,  and  done  exactly  as  she  wished. 
This  was  to  say  that  Fairmount  was  more 
powerful  with  her  than  he.  He  laughed 
at  himself;  for  why  should  n't  Fairmount 
be  ?  He  went  over  all  these  phases  of 
the  matter  in  the  time  he  had  to  think. 
His  duty  every  day  so  busied  that  he 
had  small  time.  He  was  in  consulta 
tion  now  with  his  own  General,  now  with 
the  General-in-Chief,  who  showed  not 
in  the  slightest  that  he  had  felt  cause 
to  censure  the  Lieutenant  -  Colonel  of 
Dragoons. 

And  then  came  the  rumor,  authenticated 
by  observation  that  morning,  that  the  en- 
202 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

emy  had  abandoned  the  outer  line  of  works. 
Colonel  Alexander  Scammell,  field  officer 
of  the  day,  called  to  him,  — 

"  Come,  Kenneth,  we  '11  look  into  it." 

And  he  was  by  Scammeirs  side  recon 
noitring  the  deserted  works. 

"  They  have  gone  certainly,"  Scammell 
said,  looking  out  toward  York  Town. 
«  Why  _  d'  ye  think  ?  " 

u  They  probably  expect  Admiral  Graves' 
help,  and  think  with  their  present  num 
bers  they  will  be  better  able  to  hold  the 
inside  works." 

"  Let 's  ride  a  little  that  way." 

"  Do  you  think  it  safe  ? "  Kenneth 
asked. 

"  I  want  to  see  what  Js  to  be  seen  from 
that  height.  You  can  stay,  Colonel  Ken 
neth,  if  you  wish." 

He  rode  on  by  himself,  and  Kenneth 
followed,  hearing  a  sergeant  say,  — 

"  The  Colonel  is  getting  out  too  far." 

And  then  he  rode  nearer,  cautioning 
Scammell  again. 

203 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Do  you  see,  Kenneth,"  Colonel  Scam- 
mell  said,  turning,  "they  have  given  up 
every  post  this  side  of  the  creek  excepting 
that  at  Nelson's  Farm." 

"  Now  I  think  we  would  better  turn 
back,"  Kenneth  said.  "They'll  begin 
firing  when  they  see  the  investiture.  I  'm 
not  brave  enough  to  care  to  make  myself  a 
target." 

He  himself  was  well  back  toward  the 
lines  supposing  Scammell  at  his  heels,  when 
he  heard  cries  behind. 

A  dozen  of  Tarleton's  troopers  had 
sprung  up  as  if  from  the  ground.  Scam 
mell  was  struggling.  Kenneth  called  to 
the  men  in  the  redoubt  to  sally.  But  it 
was  too  late.  The  field-officer  of  the  day 
was  being;  hurried  toward  York  Town  be- 

O 

tween  two  troopers.  And  then  the  watchers 
saw  a  horrible  thing.  Scammell  seemed  to 
try  to  turn,  when  a  third  trooper,  appar 
ently  fearing  the  prisoner  would  get  away, 
shot  him  in  the  side.  They  could  see  him 
tottering  in  the  saddle,  —  the  two  troopers 
204 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

supporting  him ;  and  all  were  lost  over  a 
slope,  while  shot  began  to  fall  from  the 
town,  especially  on  the  companies  en 
gaged  in  the  construction  of  the  new 
redoubts.  The  allies  did  not  reply, 
keeping  at  the  works ;  only  pausing  to 
move  the  bodies  when  a  single  shot 
tumbled  over  four  men  of  the  Penn 
sylvania  line. 

"We'll  remember  that  shot,  fellows," 
said  one  of  the  workmen,  mopping  his 
brow.  "  We  '11  remember  it,  and  Con'l 
Scammell." 

"That  we  will,"  said  several,  steadily 
at  their  labor.  The  feeling  throughout 
the  army  was  of  patient  expectation ; 
that  at  last  His  Lordship  of  Cornwallis,  the 
one  dreaded  of  the  King's  Generals,  was 
in  a  corner. 

Late  that  day  an  outside  sentry  posted 
behind  a  sand-bag  gave  notice  of  some 
with  a  truce  from  the  town.  A  wounded 
man  was  being  carried  on  a  litter.  Earl 
Cornwallis  begs  to  return  Colonel  Scammell 
205 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

on  parole  to  his  friends,  regretting  much 
the  horrid  circumstance. 

"  Don't  blame  the  trooper  who  shot 
me,"  poor  Scammell  gasped.  "  A  man 
loses  his  head  in  the  battle  rage,  you  know 
well." 

But  that  trooper  had  ended  him.  This 
brave  soldier  and  gentleman  died  at  Wil- 
liamsburg  the  evening  of  the  sixth. 

But  if  Scammell  had  been  imprudent 
the  General-in-Chief  was  not  less,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  first,  when,  with  General 
Du  Portail  of  the  Engineers,  he  crossed  the 
mill-dam  at  Wormley's  Creek  and  ad 
vanced  to  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the 
enemy's  works.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ken 
neth  and  Captain  Smith  conducted  a  cover 
ing  party,  and  you  may  imagine  Kenneth's 
fear  with  the  Scammell  affair  so  fresh 
in  mind.  But  the  General's  daring  was 
unobserved,  and  he  returned  safely  to  the 
lines. 

It  was,  you  may  believe,  a  period  of 
most  anxiety  for  that  great  leader.  And 
206 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

the  success  of  the  siege  signified  not  only 
the  probable  speedy  termination  of  the  war, 
but  the  firm  establishment  of  his  own 
fame. 

All  the  officers  displayed  the  greatest 
energy,  if  perhaps  the  brunt  of  responsi 
bility  fell  on  General  Knox's  artillery. 
Being  short  of  gun  wagons,  the  Chief 
offered  the  General  his  own  luggage  vans, 
asking  his  subordinates  to  send  theirs. 

One  day  an  order  was  passed  forbidding 
officers  to  wear  "  red  coats." 

Ah,  how  had  a  certain  u  red  coat"  — 
the  King's  coat  —  been  involved  in  his 
affairs  !  Kenneth  still  clung  to  the  fancy 
of  Fairmount  donning  and  doffing  this 
coat. 

Yet  Fairmount  has  been  right  about  her. 
She  was  in  those  works  in  danger.  Now 
that  she  was  there  she  would  remain  with 
her  brother,  Kenneth  was  certain.  He  had 
no  word  of  Captain  Jervon's  condition. 
To  add  to  his  fear  was  the  order  u  to  avoid 
any  communication  with  the  houses  or  in- 
207 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

habitants  in  the  neighborhood,"  small-pox 
being  epidemic. 

He  was  busied  superintending  many 
operations,  using  that  knowledge  he  had 
acquired  through  the  years  of  laborious 
service.  If  his  work  had  been  mostly  in 
the  field,  he  had  not  neglected  the  theory 
of  the  siege.  The  Marquis  often  con 
sulted  him ;  and  his  old  commandant,  and 
ever  good  friend,  Colonel  Armand,  was 
often  at  his  side.  Yet  he  felt  strangely 
nervous,  queerly  inactive  for  all  his  ac 
tivity.  He  envied  the  French  the  brush 
they  had  with  his  old  enemy,  Colonel 
Tarleton,  before  York  Town.  The  field 
was  so  much  better  than  the  siege  for  a 
restless  soul,  who  was  wondering  how  it 
was  with  one  person  behind  those  enigma 
tical  works. 

Yet  when,  after  the  stilly  night  darkened 
by  a  soft  rain,  the  first  parallel  was  thrown 
up,  it  was  heartening  at  the  wet  dawn  to 
think  that  the  meshes  of  the  net  were 
drawn  tighter ;  to  imagine  the  consterna- 
208 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

tion  in  the  foe's  ranks.  The  guns  now 
kept  up ;  to  add  to  it  all  was  the  sight  of 
beating  drums,  and  flying  flags,  as  the  com 
panies  passed  to  and  fro  in  relief  of  the 
posts.  There  had  been  fighting  at  the  ex 
treme  left  which  the  French  held.  Ken 
neth  envied  the  fate  of  the  French  officer 
killed  in  a  gallant  little  charge,  and  the 
twenty  men  who  had  fallen  with  him. 

The  most  surprising  part  indeed  of  it  all 
was  the  little  hindrance  the  enemy  seemed 
to  give.  The  work  went  on  with  ever 
increasing  activity  day  and  night.  No 
longer  did  a  relief  corps  march  with  drums 
and  flying  flag,  but  quietly,  to  a  new  posi 
tion,  where  guns  were  being  mounted 
with  patient  care.  Expectation,  suppressed 
excitement,  were  in  every  heart.  And 
what  may  be  happening  behind  those 
works,  Kenneth  asked  again  and  again. 

The  busy  days  dragged  to  Armand's 
ex-Captain. 

"  The  fire  will  be  opened  to-day,"  he 
heard  an  aide  declare  to  his  General. 
14  209 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  It 's  the  opinion  then  that  there  are 
sufficient  batteries  ?  "  de  la  Fayette  asked. 

"  The  Chief  thinks  that  at  least  we  can 
try,"  the  other  answered. 

Monsieur  de  Rochambeau  opened  the 
game  at  the  extreme  left  with  firing  on 
the  redoubt  of  the  Fusileers.  The  General- 
in-Chief  himself  sighted  the  first  American 
gun.  Kenneth  heard  it  crash  among  the 
houses  in  York  Town.  A  favorite  sight 
was  the  house  of  Mr.  Nelson,  Secretary  of 
the  Commonwealth,  for  report  ran  that 
there  my  Lord  of  Cornwallis  was  quartered. 

This  evening  Mr.  Secretary  Nelson 
himself  came  across. 

"  You  have  broken  through  my  house," 
he  said. 

"  And  what  became  of  My  Lord  ? " 
Governor  Nelson  asked. 

"  He  pitched  his  tent  close  behind  the 
works." 

"  Did  you  see  Miss  Jervon  there  ? " 
Kenneth  asked  of  the  arrival. 

"Yes.     She  won't  leave." 

210 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  It  is  like  her,"  said  our  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  "  How  may  Captain  Jervon's 
wound  be  ?  " 

"  He  is  on  duty,  I  believe.  But  you  are 
right,  Colonel.  It's  a  poor  place  for 
women.  How  did  Fairmount  permit  it  ?  " 

But  Kenneth  did  not  say  that  he,  not 
Fairmount,  had  been  to  blame.  Fairmount 
had  been  right.  It  seemed  as  if  he  were 
always  so.  Yet,  Kenneth  added,  in  his 
wish  to  pick  a  flaw,  he  was  a  man  of 
policy.  If  he  had  spared  Kenneth's  life, 
he  probably  thought  it  but  prudent  when 
indeed  he  would  have  incurred  great  odium 
by  taking  it.  Our  Colonel's  antipathy  for 
the  man  seemed  to  increase. 

He  was  standing  with  the  Marquis, 
general  officer  of  that  day,  at  Machin's 
battery.  The  Secretary  and  Governor 
watched. 

"  To  what  particular  spot,"  the  "  little  " 
General  asked  Governor  Nelson,  "would 
Your  Excellency  direct  that  we  should 
point  the  cannon  ?  " 

211 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  There,  to  that  house.  It  is  mine,  and, 
now  that  the  Secretary's  is  nearly  knocked 
to  pieces,  it  is  the  best  one  in  the  town." 

A  cheer  went  up  at  this  Governor  of 
the  Commonwealth.  But  Kenneth  shud 
dered  as  the  shot  sailed  across  the  sky,  and 
fell  crashing  into  York  Town. 

That  night  was  lit  with  bursting  shells, 
while,  to  add  to  the  impressiveness  of  the 
scene,  the  enemy's  ship  Charon  burst  into 
flames.  The  din  was  incessant.  At 
dawn,  Oct.  nth,  fifty-two  pieces  were 
playing  on  the  enemy  who  no  longer 
seemed  to  answer. 

Encouraged  by  this  apparent  weakness, 
a  second  parallel  was  attempted.  The 
noise  aided  it.  Baron  Steuben's  men 
worked  between  the  two  fires  :  that  from 
York  Town  now  much  lessened ;  and  that 
from  their  own  in  the  parallel  at  their 
backs.  The  enemy  made  sorties  to  add  to 
the  pleasure  of  that  digging.  The  sight 
must  have  been  "  beautifully  tremendous," 
as  Martin's  Gazetteer  declared  with  an  ap- 
212 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

parent  consciousness  of  the  ineffectiveness 
of  adjectives.  u  Horribly  tremendous," 
Kenneth  thought. 

"  But  look  you,"  Colonel  Steuben  said 
to  de  la  Fayette's  aide ;  "  while  to-night's 
work  brings  us  within  musket  shot  of 
them,  I  can't  succeed  with  those  two 
British  redoubts  between  us  and  the  river. 
Now,  if  you  please,  see  General  de  la 
Fayette.  Have  him  see  General  Washing 
ton.  Look  out,  my  man,  hold  your  head 
lower,"  the  Baron  added  as  a  shell  came 
dangerously  low,  and  Kenneth  dodged  to 
the  parallel. 

Yes,  those  two  batteries  must  be  taken 
in  some  way,  that  was  certain ;  "  But 
we  must  wait  our  chance,"  said  the 
Chief. 

There  was  a  bit  of  envious  emulation 
among  the  regiments  for  this  most  impor 
tant  duty.  Those  impetuous  fellows  of 
the  regiments  Gattenois  and  Royal-Deux- 
Ponts  were  beside  themselves  with  delight 
when  they  had  the  privilege  of  trying  for 
213 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

bastion  redoubt  Number  9.  u  Ah,"  says 
Colonel  Deux-Ponts,  in  his  charming 
Diary,  "  that  moment  seemed  to  me  very 
sweet."  It  must  have  been  u  very  sweet," 
indeed,  as  these  chasseurs  and  grenadiers 
marched  forth,  Baron  d'Estrade  as  Deux- 
Ponts'  junior.  u  Wer  da  ?  "  cries  the 
Hessian  guard  from  the  redoubt.  Ah, 
it  was  "  sweet,"  as  with  a  "  Vive  le  Roi  " 
grenadiers  and  chasseurs  retorted. 

The  redoubt  was  taken.  Auvergne  sans 
touche  the  Gattenois  became  again  by  grace 
of  His  Majesty,  Louis. 

While  de  Rochambeau's  Colonel  was  at 
this  service,  so  "  sweet "  to  him,  General 
de  la  Fayette  was  trying  to  prove  that  his 
light  infantry  were  the  best  in  the  world 
through  the  training  of  those  marches  up 
and  down  the  James,  —  a  campaign  which 
really  had  led  to  this  siege,  our  "little" 
Marquis  might  remember  had  he  been 
vainglorious.  Discreetly  he  selected  his 
battalions.  Yes,  Colonel  Gimat's,  and 
Colonel  Hamilton's,  and  —  why,  yes,  Colo- 
214 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

nel  Laurens'  and  Nicholas  Fish's.  Gimat 
should  have  the  command.  There  were 
some  heart-burns  here.  "  Your  Excel 
lency,"  Colonel  Hamilton  said  to  the 
Chief,  "  that  command  should  be  mine." 
There  was  no  resisting  that  impetuous 
"should  be."  The  Chief  liked  Hamil 
ton.  "  You  must  give  it  to  him,  de  la 
Fayette.  Why  it  would  be  the  greatest 
disap  —  " 

"  And  what  of  Gimat  ? "  asked  the 
"  little  "  Marquis,  no  longer  "  little ;  "  now 
the  "  great."  It  was  the  mentally  "  little," 
and  the  "  little "  in  years  and  experience, 
his  old  detractors  had  meant,  for  he  stood 
over  six  feet ;  beyond  six  feet  now  in 
achievement. 

"  Oh,  let  Hamilton  have  it,"  coaxed 
the  Chief.  "  You  know  really  it 's  his 
right,  too,  as  field  officer  of  the  day." 

And  Hamilton  had  it.  Naturally  Colonel 
Armand  and  his  friend,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Kenneth,  were  among  the  volunteers. 

How  patiently  they  waited  the  signal, 
2I5 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

these  honored  ones.  At  last  the  six  shells 
sounded,  and  on  they  went.  If  they  be 
gan  with  precise  order,  their  ardor  left 
them  presently  forgetful.  In  face  of  a 
hot  fire  their  blood  boiled.  Slipping,  strug 
gling,  some  falling,  they  were  over  the 
side,  Captain  Mansfield  first  ;  but  Colonel 
Armand  and  the  chosen  of  the  volunteers 
not  the  least  in  that  melee.  Captain 
Olney  fell  back  wounded,  envying  Colo 
nel  Laurens  who  had  the  Commandant, 
Major  Campbell,  by  the  shoulder  :  — 

u  You  're  prisoner,  sir." 

The  defence  was  hopeless ;  the  remnant 
of  the  defenders  retreated  over  the  farther 
wall.  Colonel  Hamilton  had  covered  him 
self  with  glory.  Carried  away  by  his 
excitement,  Kenneth  was  after  them. 
Like  his  friend  Colonel  Pemberton  at 
Princeton,  he  ran  too  far. 

"  At  least  we  have  an  officer  !  "  cried 
two,  grabbing  him. 

"  Let  me  have  a  chance  at  him,"  cried 
a  maddened  corporal. 
216 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  He  's  mine,"  cried  the  other,  authorita 
tively. 

An  ensign  interrupted  them. 
"  What  's  this,  men  ?  " 
u  Major  Campbell's  redoubt  is  taken." 
"  We  know  it,  —  and  the  Major  ?  " 
"  Taken.     But  we  have  this  one." 
The     noises    were    deafening.       Shells 
seemed   to   fill  the  sky. 

But  Kenneth  was  in  York  Town. 
What  a  horrid  piece  of  fortune,  indeed ! 
Yet  how  much  worse  was  that  of  the  be 
sieged  with  those  important  redoubts  now 
added  to  their  enemy's  second  parallel ! 

"  Come  with  me,"  the  ensign  was  say 
ing.  "  We  at  least  have  you,  an  officer,'* 
he  added  grimly.  "  Bend  low  !  Some 
thing  happens  to  those  who  put  their  heads 
above  parapets." 

He  paused  dismally,  and  continued,  — 
"  Major   Cochrane,   sighting  a  gun,  by 
His  Lordship's  side,  looked  over  and  had 
his  head  clean  cut  from  his  shoulders." 
"  That  must  have  been  horrible  enough." 
217 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  Ugh,"  said  the  ensign  by  his  prisoner's 
side,  "  it 's  all  bad  enough,  —  that  His 
Majesty's  soldiers  should  be  brought  to  this 
pass ! " 

"  But  we  might  have  been,"  Kenneth 
retorted. 

u  You  have  had  a  deal  of  luck.  You 
could  n't  have  done  it  if  it  had  n't  been  for 
those  Frenchmen  out  in  the  bay,  and  if 
Admiral  Graves  or  Sir  Henry  had  stood 
by  us.  Somebody  is  enough  to  blame ; 
His  Lordship  certainly  is  n't." 

u  Where  are  you  taking  me  ?  " 

"  To  His  Lordship,  sir,"  said  the  other. 
He  was  a  little  rosy  boy,  not  more  than 
eighteen. 

Presently  they  came  to  a  tent  among 
others  behind  a  line  of  earthworks. 

"The  houses  are  too  good  targets  for 
your  gunners.  About  a  week  ago  some 
chaps  were  dining,  among  'em  a  Scot 
lieutenant,  who  'd  said,  '  Come  on,  Maister 
Washington.  I  Jm  unco'  glad  to  see 
ye.'  Well,  Maister  Washington  came  to 
218 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

him  as  he  was  raising  a  spoonful  of  soup. 
He  was  all  cut  up,  as  well  as  the  adjutant 
of  the  Seventy-sixth,  and  its  quartermaster, 
while  the  commissary-general  was  killed. 
'  I  Jm  unco'  careful  about  Maister  Wash 
ington's '  bullets,  sir.  And  now  you've 
the  two  redoubts,  demme." 

So  the  little  ensign  chattered  on  ner 
vously. 

In  the  space  by  the  tents  all  was  bustle ; 
officers  passing  in  and  out. 

"  I  '11  leave  you  for  a  moment,  —  to 
report  the  one  prisoner  in  place  of  two 
redoubts.  Oh,  you're  important,  sir,  I 
can  tell  you." 

He  went  inside. 

Presently  another  came  out  whom  Ken 
neth  recognized. 

"  Colonel  Tarleton  !  " 

"  Kenneth  ?  —  again  ?  Well,  you  're 
caught  after  giving  us  —  me  I  mean  — 
the  slip  so  many  times.  You  did  surprise 
me  when  I  had  you  last." 
.  This  was  indeed  the  Tarleton  Kenneth 
219 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

knew ;  but  no  longer  light,  dashing ;  no 
longer  the  man  who  had  terrorized  the 
Carolinas  and  indeed  Virginia. 

"  The  General,  His  Lordship,  wishes  to 
see  you.  He  '11  be  at  liberty  in  a  few 
moments,  I  think.  Ah,  we  are  busy,  Cap 
tain  Kenneth.  I  never  thought  we  should 
come  to  this.  1  crossed  over  from  the 
Gloucester  short  under  cover  of  the  dark 
ness,  to  find  that  you  have  the  two  re 
doubts." 

"  It  was  rather  unfortunate  for  you," 
Kenneth  said,  not  forgetting  that  Tarleton 
always  had  treated  him  generously.  They 
stood  silent  for  a  moment,  under  that  sky 
lit  with  bursting  shells. 

"  And  Captain  Jervon  ?  how  is  his 
wound  ?  " 

He  asked,  although  he  had  heard  from 
Mr.  Secretary  Nelson. 

"  I  believe  he  is  around  again,  on  duty. 
No  more  than  a  scratch." 

"  And  Miss  Jervon  ?  " 

"  Gad,  Kenneth,  she  is  a  spirited  young 

220 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

woman.     She  is  lodged  here  against  every 
body's  persuasion  to  have  her  return." 

"  There  are  some  women,  you  know, 
who  are  petty  officers'  wives.  I  will  find 
Captain  Jervon,  if  you  wish,"  Colonel 
Tarleton  continued. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  him." 

"  I  believe  you  borrowed  his  coat.  I 
have  heard  the  story." 

"  One  more  question  ?  " 

"  One  I  hope  I  can  answer ;  not  about 
how  I  fought  the  French  Duke  de  Lauzun 
over  at  Gloucester  some  days  ago.  Yet 
that  was  a  pretty  enough  fight.  I  don't 
like,"  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  ended  gloom 
ily,  "  being  cooped  here." 

"I  am  sorry,  —  partly  sorry." 

"  I  understand.  Thank  you  for  that 
much,  Captain  Kenneth.  If  Sir  Henry 
only  will  hurry  down  his  reinforcements  it 
may  be  yet  all  well." 

"  Never   count   on  a  battle   until   it   is 
done,"    said    de    la    Fayette's    Colonel    of 
Dragoons,  not  forgetting  good  manners. 
221 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

cc  Oh,  we  shall  fight  it  out.  His  Lord 
ship  is  taking  a  long  time  in  seeing  you. 
But  what  did  you  want  to  ask  ?  " 

"  Do  you  remember  the  last  time  you 
caught  me  ?  " 

"  And  how  you  slipped  through  the 
circle  ?  I  was  just  speaking  of  that." 

"  You  know  you  told  me  then,  Fair- 
mount  had  given  you  the  information  lead 
ing  to  that  little  surprise  ?  " 

"  Did  I  ?  Oh,  no ;  if  you  will  rack 
your  memory  you  will  find  that  you  sug 
gested  it  to  me  ?  —  although  I  may  have 
agreed." 

"  How  did  you  know  then  I  was  carry 
ing  despatches  North  ?  " 

"From  a  spy,  —  but  not  Fairmount." 

That  was  as  the  Chief  had  said.  It 
was  true  then  that  Fairmount  was  not  a 
spy. 

"  But  you  tried  to  prove  he  was  one  ? " 

"  No,  he  was  n't.  I  '11  be  frank,  Cap 
tain  Kenneth.  We  wanted  you  to  think 
him  against  you,  because  we  wished  to 

222 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

gain  his  interest.  We  have  tried  in  this 
rebellion  to  keep,  and  gain,  the  interest 
in  the  King's  cause  of  the  Americans 
themselves.  You  know  Fairmount  is  an 
important  person  in  Virginia." 

"  No  one  better  than  I." 

cc  Well,  he  hesitated  between  the  two 
sides.  He  seemed  to  consider  the  loy 
alist  cause  the  right  ;  but  at  last  he 
turned." 

"  That  degree  of  policy  in  a  man  is 
against  me." 

u  And  me,  you  know  well.  Now  I 
believe  he  has  gone  over  to  you.  I  am 
not  sure  but  that  from  the  first  he  may 
have  been  on  your  side.  Yet  he  hid  it 
from  us,  that 's  certain,  —  while  at  last  it 
is  equally  certain  he  was  a  spy  —  " 

"  Spying  on  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  exactly.  There  's  no  doubt  of 
him  now." 

Then  Kenneth  had  been  both  right  and 
wrong.  The  man  had  tried  to  be  on  both 
sides ;  now  he  was  frankly  American. 
223 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

But  the  General-in-Chief  had  held  his  aid 
valuable.  He  had  given  Kenneth  his 
life  —  put  him  in  his  debt.  Nor  indeed 
had  Kenneth  any  good  reason  for  believ 
ing  that  he  was  not  worthy  of  Charlotte 
Jervon.  He  certainly  had  shown  her 
great  consideration,  and  likely,  —  why  yes, 
surely  Charlotte  Jervon  was  not  disap 
pointed  in  him,  or  in  her  promise.  He, 
Kenneth,  had  been  the  arrant  fool. 

"  His  Lordship  wishes  to  see  you,  sir," 
said  the  ensign  returning. 

Lord  Cornwallis  was  conversing  with 
an  officer  of  the  Engineers  and  Colonel 
Abercrombie. 

"  We  must  make  a  sortie,  Colonel 
Abercrombie.  Why  we  can't  stand  it. 
They'll  blow  in  all  our  works.  With 
that  new  parallel,  we  sha'n't  have,  a  few 
hours  more,  a  gun  left  that  we  can  use." 

"  To-morrow  night  I  think  will  be  best, 
My  Lord,"  here  said  Colonel  Tarleton, 
who  had  followed  the  prisoner. 

"  Yes,  to-morrow  night  will  be  the  time, 
224 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Colonel  Tarleton,  I  '11  grant.  This  is  the 
prisoner,  eh  ?  You  ventured  too  far  be 
yond  the  Rock  Redoubt,  I  'm  told." 

"That's  plain,  my  Lord,"  de  la  Fay- 
ette's  Lieutenant-Colonel  answered. 

"  How  many  guns  have  they  for  this 
second  parallel  ?  Yet  I  hardly  expect  you 
to  tell  ?  "  his  Lordship  asked. 

"I  don't  object.  I  think  there'll  be 
seventy-two  at  least.  As  Your  Lordship 
was  saying,  I  do  not  see  how  you  can  pre 
vent  your  guns  being  made  useless." 

He  pitied  this  good  General,  whose 
record  had  no  flaw ;  who  had  proven  his 
efficiency.  His  face  showed  the  strain  he 
was  under.  This  was  not  the  same  man 
of  the  victories  in  the  Carolinasj  now  a 
man  worn  and  dried. 

"  If  Sir  Henry  only  would  hurry  !  But 
he  does  n't.  I  must  take  care  of  myself. 
They  are  conducting  this  siege  well, 
Colonel  —  " 

"  Kenneth,  of  General  de  la  Fayette's." 

u  Well,  Colonel  Kenneth,  you  are 
15  225 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

prisoner   of  war.     Give   me  your  parole, 
and  I  shall  be  glad  to  take  it." 

The  offer  was  generous  ;  yet  meant  that 
he  could  not  fight  longer  in  this  siege. 

u  At  present  there 's  small  chance  of 
exchange,"  His  Lordship  went  on ;  "  but 
we  can't  tell,  you  know.  We  may  be 
chasing  yours  directly." 

Kenneth  hesitated.  Yet  why  should  he 
disregard  that  courtesy  ?  The  strong  man 
talking,  the  strong  General  surrounded,  but 
yet  strong,  appealed  to  him. 

"  I  give  it  —  freely,"  he  said  impulsively. 
"  And  I  am  obliged  to  Your  Lordship." 

"  Oh,  it  is  Colonel  Tarleton's  suggestion. 
Thank  him.  But  I  thought  you  might  say 
something.  I  see  you  won't.  We  have  had 
few  deserters  from  you  lately.  I  know 
rats  don't  run  to  a  sinking  ship." 

For  a  moment  My  Lord  seemed  to  be 
reflecting  gloomily.  At  last  he  said, 

"Well,  thank  you.  You  think  the 
allies  can  mount  seventy-two  guns  on  their 
new  parallel  ? " 

226 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Quite  as  many,  My  Lord." 

"  Hum,  Colonel  Tarleton,  what  do  you 
think  of  our  chances  to  cross  to  Gloucester  ? 
to  retreat  that  way  ?  " 

"  We  '11  wait." 

"  Sir  Henry  may  come,  you  mean  ?  " 

u  At  any  rate,  we  can  see  what  may  come 
of  the  sortie  you  were  suggesting  to  Colonel 
Abercrombie." 

"  Yes,  we  must  do  that.  How  their 
guns  keep  up  !  Our  poor  ones  don't  make 
much  answer  now.  Oh,  Colonel  Kenneth, 
you  can  go  now  !  And  I  '11  confess  your 
guns  are  rather  appalling." 

Kenneth  met  an  officer  walking  rapidly 
toward  His  Lordship's  tent,  who  stopped, 
and  then  came  forward. 

"  Captain  Jervon." 

"  Oh,  Kenneth.  I  owe  you  some  good 
favors." 

"  I  am  here  prisoner  on  parole." 

"  I  am  sorry.      But  wait,  you  must  share 
my  quarters.     You  '11  find  it  difficult  to  find 
any  other,  and  you  would  better  accept." 
227 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to." 

"Wait,  please,  until  I  make  my  report 
to  Lord  Chewton.  I  sha'n't  keep  you 
here  more  than  a  minute." 

That  young  gentleman  could  not  be 
courteous  enough. 

"  It 's  this  way,  if  you  please,  Kenneth. 
I  'm  glad  to  give  you  so  slight  a  favor. 
We  're  all  rather  troubled  here.  I  confess 
I  'm  worried  to  death.  We  never  expected 
to  have  to  defend  this  place.  We  have 
considered  it  always  as  only  a  temporary 
post,  to  be  held  until  we  had  our  rein 
forcements.  But  they  have  n't  appeared. 
We  expect  them  every  day,  as  we  have 
from  the  first." 

They  were  approaching  an  old  rambling 
house  well  surrounded  by  earthworks. 

"  I  'm  worried  mostly  about  Charlotte. 
But  she  won't  leave,  she  says.  Would 
you  like  to  see  her  ?  She  is  up  yet, 
I  think.  This  is  the  least  dangerous 
spot  in  the  works.  Come  in,  won't 


you  ? " 


228 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

He  opened  the  door,  and  there  she  was, 
reading,  by  an  elderly  woman,  Mrs.  Leigh- 
ton,  a  quartermaster's  wife. 

Ah,  the  experience  had  told.  Kenneth 
felt  his  heart  beating.  How  strange  in 
deed  that  it  should  !  And  he  knew  sud 
denly  why  he  had  so  little  regret  at  his 
capture. 

"  And  Colonel  Kenneth ! "  the  color 
covering  her  face  even  by  those  sputtering 
candles. 

"  A  prisoner  taken  to-night ;  now  on 
parole." 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  not  hurt." 

"  Only  in  feelings." 

"I  brought  him  here  because    I  knew 

D 

he  would  be  more  comfortable,"  Captain 
Jervon  said. 

"We  may  be  turned  into  the  general 
hospital  any  day.  There  are  six  officers' 
families,  I  believe.  We  have  nearly  the 
safest  spot  in  York  Town.  The  surgeons 
threatened  to  drive  us  out,  although  we 
have  a  hospital  here  already." 
229 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"You  ought  to  rest,  Charlie.  She's 
working  over  'em  all  day,  all  night,  Ken 
neth.  Poor  girl,  she  '11  wear  out.  Now 
go  to  bed,  Charlie.  I  must,  for  I  'm  dead 
tired,  and  I  don't  know  when  I  may  be 
called  out  again." 

"  He  worries  me  so,  Colonel  Kenneth. 
I  'm  so  afraid  —  " 

"  I  know  you  are,"  Kenneth  said. 

"  She  came  here  because  she  heard  I 
had  a  scratch,  and  now  she  won't  be 
driven  away.  You  '11  have  to  go  over 
to  Gloucester  to-morrow,  or  to  the 
Guadalupe." 

"  The  Charon  was  burned.  Why  not 
the  Guadalupe  ?  You  '11  drive  me  to  the 
worst  places.  I  won't  go  a  step,  Dick 
Jervon,  as  long  as  there  's  some  poor  fel 
low  suffering  as  you  may  some  day." 

At  the  moment  a  man  looked  in,  plainly 
a  surgeon.  Above  the  din  Kenneth  heard 
groans  from  the  inner  room. 

"  If  you  '11  come  here  a  minute,  Mrs. 
Leighton  ?  " 

230 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"Yes,  Doctor  Black,"  the  Quarter- 
Master's  wife  said,  following. 

"  That 's  the  kind  of  experience  my 
sister  has." 

"  You  really  ought  to  leave,"  Kenneth 
said  to  her. 

"  I  will  remain  here,  Colonel  Kenneth, 
while  I  am  needed.  Please  don't  say  any 
thing  more  about  it,  —  neither  of  you. 
Have  you  seen  Jerome  Fairmount  lately  ? " 
she  asked,  looking  at  him  keenly,  he 
fancied. 

"  No,  Miss  Jervon." 

He  wanted  to  cry  out  that  Jerome 
Fairmount  had  been  right ;  he,  Kenneth, 
should  not  have  permitted  her  to  pass. 

"  Nor  of  my  poor  uncle,  I  fancy.  I 
wonder  how  he  endures  it  all." 

u  You  forget  we  are  all  dead  tired, 
Charliey  and  you  too,"  said  Jervon, 
sleepily. 

"  Can  you  sleep  in  such  a  racket, 
Colonel  Kenneth  ?  " 

"  I  have  managed  to  get  accustomed 
231 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

to  it  by  this  time.  Good-night,  Miss 
Jervon." 

He  noticed  the  eyes  now  weary,  that  he 
thought  should  show  only  laughter, 

He  followed  Jervon. 

"  We  sleep  outside  in  a  tent.  You 
share  my  quarters.  Hello,  Jem." 

A  black  came  from  the  tent. 

"  Fix  two  cots,  you  sleepy  rascal. 
Quick.  I  '11  fall  to  sleep  standing.  It 's 
beastly  for  her  to  be  here,  Kenneth,  but 
nothing  can  move  her.  I  wonder  what 's 
going  on  ?  This  is  the  first  time  in  five 
days  I  have  slept  outside  the  works.  Eh, 
Jem,  are  you  ready  ?  " 

In  a  moment  Kenneth,  too,  was  in 
bed.  At  first  unable  to  sleep,  —  although 
so  well  accustomed  to  the  noises  of  bat 
tle, —  he  ran  over  the  hurried  events  of 
the  last  hours.  But  chiefly  her  face  both 
ered.  Captain  Jervon  breathed  hard  at 
his  right;  and  suddenly  he  slept  out  of 
utter  exhaustion. 

He  was  wakened  by  some  one  shaking 
232 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

him,  and  looking  up  in  the  gray  light  he 
saw  the  surgeon  of  the  previous  night. 

"  Come,  we  want  your  help  to  move  the 
wounded.  They  Ve  started  another  bat 
tery,  and  we  can't  stay  here  without  all 
being  blown  to  kingdom  come." 

As  if  in  emphasis  Kenneth  saw  through 
the  opened  tent  door  a  shell  plowing  up 
the  earth  not  twenty  feet  away.  Captain 
Jervon  and  his  servant  were  not  in  the 
tent.  He  thought  of  Charlotte  Jervon. 

"  I  '11  be  there  in  ten  seconds,"  he  cried, 
already  on  his  feet. 


233 


Chapter  XL 

How  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kenneth, 
being  a  prisoner  on  parole  within 
the  lines  at  York  Town,  served  as 
Surgeon's  Assistant ;  and  how 
Captain  Jervon  was  commended 
by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Robert 
Abercrombie  for  bravery  in  a  cer 
tain  sortie. 

THE  scene  was  of  utmost  confusion,  in 
a  noise  terrifying  with  its  emphasis 
of  pounding  and  bursting  missiles ;  mean 
ing  that  the  disabled  might  be  torn  even  in 
disability.  The  new  parallel  had  left  this 
place  no  longer  a  haven.  Kenneth,  who 
had  known  so  much  of  war,  who  had  slept 
again  and  again  while  the  guns  kept  up 
an  incessant  turmoil,  found  himself  sick 
ening  in  dread  of  this  new  experience ;  — 
men  and  some  women  hastening  to  and 
234 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

fro  from  the  house ;  sutlers,  the  camp- 
followers  ;  a  surgeon  calling  his  direc 
tion  ;  the  haggard  faces  of  these  sick ;  yet 
scarcely  less  haggard  than  the  faces  of  these 
who  were  trying  to  get  them  out  of  range 
of  this  new  fire,  which  signified  the  com 
pletion  of  Baron  Steuben's  night  work,  the 
second  parallel. 

The  house  itself  was  already  shattered ; 
the  earth  about  scattered  again  and  again 
by  falling  projectiles ;  and  out  of  the 
leaden  sky  was  a  warm,  slow  drizzle ;  so 
that  the  figures  rushing  to  and  fro  on  mis 
sions  of  mercy  were  dripping  and  grue 
some.  It  was  like  a  picture  by  an  artist 
whose  soul  had  been  pervaded  by  the  dis- 
malness  of  the  Inferno;  but  Dante,  in 
all  his  range  of  imagery,  could  not  have 
made  a  scene  so  utterly  wretched  ;  like  a 
judgment-day  where  all  were  adjudged  to 
hellish  torture  with  no  vision  of  an  opening 
Heaven,  the  Infinite  Pity. 

And  yet  it  was  but  a  phase  of  Ken 
neth's  trade,  —  but  the  success  of  his  Chiefs 
235 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

engineering  corps ;  but  the  cleverness  now 
proven  in  the  idea  of  the  second  parallel. 
And  yet,  for  all  that  he  should  have  been 
pleased,  this  left  him  dismal.  His  ani 
mosity  died  away  ;  it  was  like  firing  on 
an  unarmed  man ;  like  Jerome  Fairmount 
thrusting  his  point  when  he  had  Kenneth 
weaponless  at  his  feet.  One's  spirit  stirs 
even  for  a  worsted  enemy.  It  remains  a 
peculiarity  of  those  allied  races  who  are 
British  that  they  lose  their  animosity  for  an 
enemy  down ;  nor  can  we  understand  the 
old  Latin's  lust  for  the  blood  of  the  power 
less  in  the  arena  ;  nor  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  modern  Latins  for  the  maddened  bull, — 
with  the  chances  of  life  carefully  removed. 

But  for  all  this  scene  Earl  Cornwallis 
yet  had  not  given  up ;  yet  planned  under 
the  night's  darkness  to  silence  some  of 
the  new  guns;  yet  looked  longingly  to 
the  sea  for  a  stir  and  a  commotion  telling 
him  English  sailors  were  for  his  relief. 

And,  as  you  know,  the  scene  was  the 
more  gruesome  to  our  Lieutenant-Colonel 
236 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

because  he  thought  of  her  who  the  last 
night  had  lodged  in  the  shattered  house. 
And  where  was  she  now  ?  He  saw,  as  he 
asked,  Captain  Jervon's  servant,  busied 
in  supporting  a  man  with  a  bandaged 
leg. 

u  Here,  if  you  please,  sir,"  called  the 
surgeon,  Black,  who  had  wakened  Ken 
neth.  "  Give  us  a  hand,  if  you  will." 

He  had  no  time  for  inquiry.  The 
helpers  were  all  insufficient,  near  every 
soldier  being  at  his  post  in  the  works ; 
for  Lord  Cornwallis'  force  had  been 
fearfully  reduced  by  death,  wounds,  and 
disease. 

The  fire  kept  up.  Sometimes  a  man 
fell,  to  be  dragged  back  into  safety. 

"  It 's  only  a  few  rods  to  carry  them," 
Black  said  again  to  his  new  assistant. 
"  There  seem  to  be  more  here  than  we 
thought.  They  Ve  been  increasing  so 
fast  the  last  days  that  they  have  taxed  all 
our  resources." 

Kenneth  was  helping  Jervon's  man, 
237 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

now  at  one   side  of  a  litter  on  which   a 
boyish  officer  was  stretched. 

"  Damn  the  rebels  !  "  said  the  invalid. 
"  Oh,  if  I  were  not  laid  up  here  !  But  I 
am  —  I  am  —  " 

"  Where  is  your  master  ? "  Kenneth 
asked  the  man. 

"  The  Captain  was  called  to  his  post  at 
dawn." 

"  And  Miss  Jervon." 

He  motioned  vaguely,  and  Kenneth 
saw  a  figure  in  a  long  red  fatigue  coat, 
and  an  officer's  hat.  She  was  standing  in 
range,  directing  the  bearers  of  another  of 
the  improvised  litters.  When  Jem  and 
he  had  put  down  their  burden,  Kenneth 
hastened  toward  her.  Her  lips  were  firm 
set,  if  her  pallor  were  great,  and  her  eyes 
faded  with  unusual  dark  circles. 

"  Be  a  little  more  careful,  men,"  she  was 
saying.  "  Poor  sergeant,  he  's  hurt  —  " 

"  Beyond  the  doctor,  mem,  thankin'  ye," 
said  the  man,  looking  his  gratitude.    "  It 's 
somethin'   to  have   a  lady  lookin'  after  a 
238 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

poor  devil.      But,  mem,  you  ought  not  to 
stay  outside  here.     I  'm  done  for  anyway." 

"  Oh,  perhaps  not,  sergeant.  Your  voice 
is  strong." 

u  Do  get  back,"  Kenneth  said. 

"  Don't  bother  about  me,  Colonel  Ken 
neth  ;  please  to  go  back.  There  are  some 
more  left." 

"  But  don't  return  yourself.  It 's  un 
necessary.  You  look  like  your  brother 
in  that  coat,"  he  added. 

"It's  Dick's,  —  poor  Dick's,  Colonel. 
He  's  at  his  post.  Do  go,  please." 

And  he,  remembering,  ran  back.  The 
roof  of  the  house  crashed  in. 

"That's  'n  'ot  fire,"  one  cried  impa 
tiently.  "  Quick,  there  're  but  three  more." 

They  hastened  with  those  three ;  and 
then  they  were  back ;  no  more  hurt  ;  and 
the  workers  breathless.  Cots  were  scat 
tered  ;  canvas  thrown  over  them ;  tents 
pitched  briskly  by  tired  arms. 

And  now  the  shells  burst  over  their 
heads. 

239 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Thank  the  Lord,  they  have  n't  yet  a 
battery  that  '11  reach  this  spot,"  the  sur 
geon  said. 

He  was  busied  enough  rushing  about, 
and  Kenneth  fell  easily  into  the  way 
of  it. 

"  You  are  so  kind,  Colonel  Kenneth," 
said  the  wearer  of  the  red  fatigue  coat. 

"  You  should  rest.  You  look  too 
tired." 

"  I  did  n't  sleep,  as  you  may  guess." 

"  Yes,  I  can  fancy  that." 

"  It  was  n't  the  noise." 

"  Are  you  not  worth  more  than,  — '  ten 
thousand  Captain  Jervons  '  ?  Jerome  Fair- 
mount  told  me  that  night  when  I  let  you 
pass  over  here." 

"  Did  he  say  that  ?  I  suppose  he  felt 
bound  to." 

"  And  he  scored  me  for  letting  you  !  " 

"  You  were  not  to  blame  ;  I  insisted." 

"  But  he  would  n't  have  suffered  you, 
—  had  you  been  ever  so  insistent." 

"  I  know  that." 

240 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

u  And  you  made  me  do  it.  You  made 
me." 

She  looked  at  him  from  under  the  odd, 
three-cornered  captain's  hat. 

"  You  did  it  because  I  wanted  you  to." 

"  I  never  shall  stop  blaming  myself." 

They  were  by  themselves  now,  apart 
from  that  improvised  hospital. 

"  There  are  enough  there  for  a  moment. 
I  think,  Colonel  Kenneth,  I  never  should 
have  forgiven  you  if  you  had  not  let  me 
pass.  I  have  been  able  to  do  something 
here.  A  woman  is  needed,  when  there 
are  so  few  of  us." 

"  It 's  sweet  for  a  poor  chap  brought  to 
his  back  to  have  a  woman's  care,  I  'm 
free  to  acknowledge.  But  you  —  ?  How 
tired  you  look,  and  I  remember  you 
so  differently.  And  Jerome  Fairmount 
thought  of  you;  would  have  prevented 
you.  I  was  weak." 

"  I  like  you  to  be,  —  in  that  way." 

"  You  made  me,"  he  said  again. 

"  That  may  be  why  I  like  it." 
16  241 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  And  you  could  not  have  induced  him. 
That  was  the  reason  —  you  told  me  your 
self —  you  came  to  me." 

"  I  know  that." 

"  He  is  very  fair.  Yet  I  have  a  con 
fession  to  make.  I  did  n't  like  him ;  I 
can't  like  him." 

"  You  have  such  different  natures.  I 
am  not  surprised." 

"  I  must  tell  you,  —  to  be  strictly 
frank  —  " 

He  paused,  wondering  why  he  was  go 
ing  on  in  this  surprising  manner,  so  unlike 
his  own.  But  he  must  tell  her ;  he  would  ; 
he  could  not  feel  easy  until  he  did.  The 
scene  itself  was  so  remarkable  ;  so  fearfully 
different.  All  that  noise  and  constant  ex 
citement  acted  on  one,  leaving  one  dif 
ferent.  She  was  changed,  and  he  as  well. 
A  great  simplicity  was  over  everything,  — 
that  of  the  most  horrible  anxiety  of  the 
battle.  And  now  a  black  coated  man 
was  passing  out  from  one  of  the  tents, 
a  regimental  chaplain.  . 
242 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Another  !  "  said  Charlotte  Jervon,  al 
most  despairfully  he  thought.  Why  should 
he  trouble  her  with  himself? 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  began,  "  for  you." 

u  I  think  of  Dick.  The  next  may  be 
he." 

"  Don't  think  of  that.  Remember  the 
chances  of  war  —  " 

"  If  Sir  Henry  only  would  come  !  " 

"  He  may  —  "  he  found  himself  saying. 

"  Oh,  you  must  n't  say  that  as  if  you 
wished  it.  You  must  not  be  a  traitor  to 
your  side,  —  even  out  of  politeness  to  me, 
—  to  us." 

"  I  did  n't  say  exactly  I  wished  it.  I 
will  say  I  wish  it  would  end." 

He  went  on  —  violently  it  seemed  to 
himself. 

"  Yes,  I  wish  it  would  end  in  one  way 
or  another  that  you  may  be  freed  from 
this  terrible  situation.  I  never  shall  stop 
accusing  myself." 

"  You  must  not  accuse  my,  —  my 
friend." 

243 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  And  how  much  better  a  friend  was  —  " 

"  Ah,  sir,  he  should  be  more." 

"  Yes,"  said  Kenneth. 

He  stepped  on,  looking  out  over  the 
dismal  scene.  His  back  was  toward  her, 
for  he  felt  he  could  not  face  her  that 
moment.  Yet  suddenly  he  felt  a  hand  on 
his  shoulder.  She  was  laughing. 

He  looked  about  at  her,  and  her  eyes 
bubbling  with  enigmatical  merriment  on 
his. 

"  I  was  laughing,"  said  she,  growing 
serious,  "because  you  have  made  me." 

A  sudden  gladness  held  him  too,  there 
in  that  noiseful  place. 

"  Do  you  mean  ?  " 

He  tried  to  take  her  hand ;  but  she 
drew  away,  now  soberly. 

"  I  mean  — just  nothing,  —  excepting 
what  I  said.  You  forget  we  are  getting 
drenched  here." 

u  Oh,  forgive  me,"  he  said,  following 
her,  "  my  forgetfulness." 

She  paused. 

244 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Good-bye,  Colonel  Kenneth,  for  a 
little  while." 

She  looked  tired,  he  thought  again. 
•     "  And  you  will  rest  ?  " 

u  Thank  you.  You  are  always  thought 
ful—  " 

"  Not  so  thoughtful  as  Fairmount,"  he 
found  himself  exclaiming. 

"Don't  speak  about  it!  Don't, — 
please !  " 

«  But,  —  I  must." 

"Well?" 

"  It 's  this.     I  insulted  him." 

"  You  insulted  him  ?      Why  ?  " 

"  Because,  —  I  know  now,  I  hated  him, 
—  hate  him  now,  because  you  belong  to 
him." 

u  You  must  n't  say  that." 

"  And  we  fought  —  "  • 

"And  —  ?" 

"  Oh,  you  need  not  worry,"  he  went  on 
bitterly;  "he  disarmed  me,  —  could  have 
killed  me  —  " 

uAnd?  — " 

245 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  He  gave  me  my  life." 

He  waited,  looking  at  her. 

"  He  is  fair ;  generous.  General  Wash 
ington  has  told  me  I  did  him  injustice. 
Now  I  concede  it.  At  first  I  couldn't 
understand  a  man,  —  like  that,  —  who 
juggled  such  a  question  as  this  in  his  under 
standing.  But  now  I  know  he  is  not  for 
me  to  understand ;  but  —  I  must  tell  you 
—  he  deserves  you  infinitely  more  than 
I.  And  I  hated  him ;  I  wanted  to 
make  him  little,  despicable,  —  because  — 
of  you." 

"  You  must  go  —  now,  —  please.  You 
must." 

"  Can  you  forgive  me  —  ?  " 

"  I  have  nothing  to  forgive,  Colonel 
Kenneth,"  she  said,  he  thought  wearily, 
and  she  was  gone  inside,  leaving  him 
there,  wondering  at  himself.  What  he 
had  said  had  been  most  cowardly ;  yes, 
entirely.  He  had  brought  his  own  selfish 
ness  into  the  question ;  had  talked  of 
himself;  had  bothered  her. 
246 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Colonel  Kenneth,  you  are  to  share  my 
quarters,  I  believe,"  said  the  surgeon, 
Black,  his  voice  sounding  even  cheery. 

"  Where  is  Captain  Jervon  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  Captain  Jervon's  quarters 
will  remain  in  the  trenches  for  the  pres 
ent." 

But  Kenneth  was  thinking  of  what  he 
had  done,  and  said, — 

u  At  least,  Doctor,  put  me  into  your 
service.  Let  me  do  something." 

"  I  '11  take  you  at  your  word,"  Black 
said ;  "  I  have  too  few  assistants." 

All  that  day  our  Lieutenant-Colonel 
worked  at  this  new  calling  of  nurse ;  all 
day  found  his  hands  clumsy,  his  skill  poor, 
and,  yet  he  tried  as  well  as  he  could,  seeing 
some  die,  hearing  many  groan.  War  sud 
denly  became  a  new  matter.  Wounded 
himself  on  two  occasions  he  never  had 
thought  of  it  in  this  sense ;  if  he  had  seen 
men  fall  in  the  field,  excitement  had  dis 
tracted.  Now  was  only  that  dull,  per 
sistent  roll  of  guns,  and  new  faces,  —  new 
247 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

cries  of  pain,  —  added  to  Surgeon  Black's 
care.  If  he  had  been  in  the  surgeon's  care 
with  his  own  wounds,  these  had  occupied 
his  mind,  and  although  he  might  have  noted 
the  others,  it  was  not  as  to-day  when  these 
others  became  all  interesting,  all  important ; 
when  he  acted  toward  them  as  if  it  had 
been  from  his  General's  orders;  when  with 
a  clumsiness  of  which  he  was  only  too  well 
aware  he  played  the  novel  role  of  nurse. 
She  had  played  the  same  role ;  was  now, 
although  he  did  not  see  her. 

It  appeared  indeed  as  if  she  avoided  him, 
for  he  did  not  see  her  again,  as  the  long, 
dull,  horribly  noisy,  busy  day  drew  on  into 
twilight.  He  remembered  as  if  it  were  all 
far  away,  —  as  far  away  as  the  time  when 
Malcolm  and  he  had  climbed  up  and  down 
the  chimney  in  Prince  William;  remem 
bered  his  chagrin  at  being  taken  in  storm 
ing  the  redoubt  when  the  victory  had  been 
Colonel  Hamilton's.  He  no  longer  re 
gretted  that  he  was  not  in  those  busy  events 
outside  the  works.  He  imagined  the  of- 
248 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ficers  going  on  their  rounds  of  duty  ;  Gen 
eral  Knox's  practical  attention  to  his  guns ; 
Steuben's  repressed  German  glee  over  the 
practicability  of  his  second  parallel ;  the 
second  parallel  that  had  brought  so  much 
havoc  into  the  work  against  which  it  had 
been  builded.  These  thoughts  passed ; 
while  this  great,  stalwart,  active  person, 
this  redoubtable  captain  of  the  most  re 
doubtable  horse  in  many  a  piece  of  brisk 
active  border  service,  did  those  acts  of  a 
nurse's  duty  that  his  nearest  friends  would 
have  thought  foreign  to  his  nature. 

"  Come,"  said  Black,  «  you  have  had 
enough  of  this,  and  we  are  a  deal  obliged, 
I  for  one  can  tell  you-  You  must  rest  a 
bit.  Time  is  up.  Rest  and  eat.  You 
are  at  my  mess.  Come  on,  Colonel ;  it 's 
been  a  fearful  day,  has  n't  it  ?  Possibly 
you  don't  consider  it  so  fearful  being  on 
the  other  side.  But  I  tell  you  it  is.  It 
has  worn  on  you,  and,  demme,  on  me." 

"  You   have  been  about  the  busiest  of 
all,"  said  Kenneth,  as  they  sat  at  rations. 
249 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Have  some  of  this  pork,  Kenneth. 
Fresh  meat  is  running  rather  low,  the  com 
missary  tells  me.  You  were  taken  at  the 
wrong  time,  were  n't  you  ?  It  was  kind 
of  His  Lordship  to  take  your  parole  within 
the  works  when  I  don't  know  how  you 
could  have  crossed  over,  however  hard 
you  might  have  wanted  to  and  tried.  But 
you  are  here  now,  and  you  've  been  bles 
sedly  nice,  too.  You  have,  I  declare. 
When  I  'm  so  short,  I  appreciate  it.  It 's 
a  dark  night,  is  n't  it  ?  I  wonder  what  '11 
happen  now.  I  hope  His  Lordship  will 
order  a  charge.  It  can  't  be  much  worse, 
even  if  we  do  lose  some  more." 

"And  how  is  Miss  Jervon,  by  the 
way  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Colonel,  there's  a  brave  girl. 
But  the  strain  has  been  fearful  for  her.  I 
never  have  ceased  to  wonder  how  women 
can  endure  so  much.  She  has  been  at  her 
duty  ;  I  call  it  hers.  It 's  a  shame  she  is 
here." 

"  Yes,  it  is." 

250 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  But  she  would  n't  go  back,  and  she  has 
been  a  deal  of  service  to  us,  I  can  tell 
you." 

"  I  understand." 

"  But  still  it 's  unnatural  that  she  should 
be.  Heavens,  how  I  wish  I  were  out  of 
this  infernal  province  of  Virginia,  and  in 
Perthshire.  Nice  music  !  —  those  guns  ! 
How  they  keep  'em  up  !  I  don't  see  how 
His  Lordship  does.  Most  of  ours  have 
been  choked.  But  it  is  a  beastly  spot  to 
defend.  We  really  were  surprised  here." 

And  so  Surgeon  Black  chattered,  himself 
under  an  excitement ;  finally  ordering  Ken 
neth  at  least  to  try  to  get  some  sleep. 

"  You  need  it,  man.  Oh,  you  must. 
I  have  had  mine.  A  man  is  not  made  of 
iron." 

Kenneth  did  not  intend  it ;  yet  he  must 
have  slept,  to  be  wakened  again  by  some 
one  peering  into  his  face. 

"  Jervon  ?  "  he  said,  sitting  up. 

Jervon  looked  serious. 

"  Kenneth,  it 's  this.     I  am  out  for  a 

251 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

little  charge  that  's  ordered  under  Colonel 
Abercrombie.  We  're  going  to  silence  some 
of  those  batteries,  or  die  at  it,  I  tell  you. 
Damn  'em  !  begging  your  pardon,  Kenneth  ; 
I  suppose  you  can 't  exactly  share  that 
sentiment." 

"  Yes,  I  can  —  now,"  said  Kenneth. 
"  I  'm  sorry  you  are  on  that  duty." 

"  Oh,  thanks,  I  know  you  are.  But  you 
need  n't  be.  I  wanted  something  to  do 
badly  enough  after  being  here.  I  tell  you 
this  is  the  sort  of  a  thing  that  takes  the 
strength  out  of  a  man,  particularly  when  he 
has  been  a  prisoner  as  long  as  I  was  with 
Burgoyne's.  But,  Kenneth  —  ?  They  're 
stiller,  d  'ye  notice  ?  We  '11  be  at  them 
directly.  And  Kenneth  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Will  you  have  an  eye  on  her,  —  if  I 
should  n't  come  back.  They  all  will,  of 
course ;  but  you  are  a  Virginian." 

"  I  will  indeed." 

u  I  knew  you  would.  I  never  shall  for 
get  how  you  let  me  go  after  Green  Spring, 
252 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

and  when  we  had  treated  you  so  badly,  up 
there  towards  Charlottesville." 

"  Oh,  that  was  natural  enough,"  Ken 
neth  laughed. 

"  But  you  '11  remember  ?  " 

"  Of  course.  But  nonsense  about  not 
coming  back.  You  will  —  " 

"  With  some  satisfaction  out  of  your 
rebels  if  I  come  back  at  all,  you  may  be 
lieve.  Oh,  I  say,  my  time  is  up." 

"  What  time  is  it  ?  " 

u  About  twelve-thirty,  and  bless  you, 
Kenneth,  don't  forget.  I  'm  a  fool,  I  know, 
to  make  such  a  fuss ;  but  something  may 
happen  in  a  night  charge  under  your 
guns." 

"  Oh,  I  have  been  in  them." 

u  I  know.  You  were  in  the  one  on  the 
Rock  Redoubt  and  —  Well,  you  were 
caught.  I  must  run.  Good-by  again." 

And  he  was  gone.     Kenneth  went  to 

the  tent  door.     It  was  strangely  still ;  the 

firing  almost  stopped ;  the   drizzle   gone ; 

but  the  night  dark.     The  surgeon's  quar- 

253 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ters  were  adjoining  those  of  his  immediate 
patients,  and  Kenneth  heard  men  groan 
ing,  and  some  calling  out  in  delirium,  and 
the  more  measured  tones  of  the  attendants. 

But  although  he  felt  his  duty  there,  he 
went  first  toward  her  lodging.  It  was  all 
still  there,  and  he  turned  back  to  report  to 
Black.  He  was  resting  for  the  moment, 
his  assistant  replied,  but  he,  the  assistant, 
gladly  would  accept  Mr.  Kenneth's  offer  to 
serve  again. 

And  Kenneth  went  to  that  unwonted 
task. 

"  Is  His  Lordship  given  'em  it  back  ?  " 
one  said.  "  Damn  my  uppers,  Doctor,  I 
wanted  to  be  in  it  to  the  end,  but  one  o' 
'em  shots  caught  me  there, — just  'twixt 
the  ribs, — bustin'  'em  in,  Doctor.  Oh, 
you're  n't  the  Doctor,  're  ye  ?  But  I  do 
want  to  be  there." 

"  I  'm  sorry,  really.  But, — just  keep 
heart,  my  man." 

"  It 's  not  like  the  King's    men  to   be 
whipped.     It  looks  like  it,  don't  it  ?  " 
254 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"Oh,  we  can't  tell  —  " 

"  Sir  Henry  hisself  may  be  here,  you 
mean.  Oh  how  that  hole  there  hurts ! 
It 's  done  pa  mighty  deal  o'  hurtin'  and 
bleedin'.  Yet  my  voice  is  purty  strong, 
is  n't  it  ?  Thank  ye,  sir." 

He  lay  quiet  for  a  time  and  then 
moaned. 

"  Come  here,  please,  sir.  Is  n't  it 
purty  still  ?  Seems  to  me,  it  is.  Look 
here,  Doctor,  but  you  're  n't  the  doctor. 
I  'm  Corporal  Dorking,  of  Col'n'l  McPher- 
son's,  —  bless  him  for  a  good  Col'n'l!  — 
Seventy-First.  You  know  us.  Were  n't 
any  o'  'em  Dutchies.  Good  English 
men,  every  one.  It  makes  me  sick,  to 
think  oj  'em  Dutchies.  I  never  did  like  the 
notion  of  Lord  North  sendin'  'em  over  to 
fight  the  other  Englishmen  here.  For 
they  be  Englishmen,  Doctor.  I  keeps  for- 
gettin'  you  're  n't  the  doctor.  What  was 
I  goin'  to  say  ?  " 

u  I  would  n't  talk  too  much,  if  I  were 
you." 

255 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"It's    just     this.       Down    under     my 
jacket,  tied  close, —  they  took  it  off,  but 
it 's  somewhere,  I  fancy.     Down  under — j 
come  nearer,  sir,  please,  I  don't  want  'em 
to  hear  —  some  o'    'em  might  take  advan-' 
tage.     It 's   this,  sir ;   there 's   a  matter  of 
eight  sovereigns,    all    new   uns    with    His 
Blessed   Majesty's  own   face   on  each  an' 
iver    un.       Will   you    see,  —  should    this 
blessed  hole  do  for  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  're  all  right." 

"  Mebbe ;  mebbe  not.  You  can't  tell, 
sir.  Just  see,  I 's  going  to  say,  that  they  're 
sent  to  Mrs.  Tom  Dorking,  at  the  Peacock, 
Brighton.  You  '11  remember.  She  's  my 
mither,  and  —  Damn  me,  sir,  I  think  o' 
her  blessed  face  some  way,  'n  think  what 
a  blessed  rascal  I  was  toward  her.  I  can't 
help  it.  I  can't,  Doctor  j  but  you 're  n't 
the  doctor." 

"  I  '11  do  it,  my  man,  of  course  I  '11  do 
it,  —  should  there  be  need.  But  there 
won't  be." 

"  Now    turn    me    over,  please,    sir.     I 

256 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

don't  seem  to  be  able  myself.  Ay,  that 's 
more  cumf'table.  Bless  ye,  sir.  How 
did  you  get  un  o'  the  rebbles'  uniforms  ?  I 
would  n't  wear  it  if  I  was  you.  Some 
water.  Thank  'ee,  sir." 

And  Dorking  of  Colonel  McPherson's 
Seventy-first  was  quiet  for  the  present. 

So  occupied  was  Colonel  Kenneth  at 
this  duty  of  nurse  that  he  did  not  notice 
how  time  passed,  how  the  scene  turned 
gray,  how  still  it  was,  the  great  guns  hav 
ing  indeed  nearly  stopped.  Suddenly  was 
a  brisk  firing,  the  rattling  of  distant 
musketry ;  and  he  understood  that  His 
Lordship's  projected  sortie  had  begun. 
The  movement  was  understood ;  for  the 
hospital  followers  were  many  outside 
watching.  Looking  toward  a  tent  he  now 
knew,  he  saw  there  a  figure  in  the  same 
red  coat  she  had  worn  in  the  drizzle  and 
excitement  of  the  yesterday. 

u  Dick  is  there,"  she  said,  as  he  came 
up.     "  Oh,  Colonel  Kenneth,  it  seems  as 
if  every  discharge  touched  my  heart." 
i7  257 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  I  know  !  I  know  !  "  he  said.  "  But 
—  Ah,  Miss  Jervon,  think  of  the  many 
times  he  has  been  out.  He  always  has 
returned." 

"  But  then  I  was  not  so  near,  and  did 
not  know." 

"Wait,"  said  he.  "You  have  been 
patient  through  all  this.  Keep  it  up  just  a 
bit  longer.  He  '11  be  back.  I  'm  sure  he 
will  be." 

"  I  like  to  hear  your  voice.  It  gives  me 
heart,  Colonel  Kenneth." 

Suddenly  she  extended  her  hand  ;  and 
for  a  moment  he  held  it,  pressed  it,  until 
she  drew  it  away. 

"  I  owe  you  much." 

"  I,  you  more." 

"  Have  you  forgotten  how  I  treated  you 
that  first  night  ?  —  so  long  —  so  long  ago." 

"  That  made  me  think  of  you." 

"  And  I  of  you.  But  —  you  mustn't 
now." 

"  Captain    Jervon    told    me    to  —  told 
me  to  look  after  you.     If  I  might  —  ?. " 
258 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

What  he  did  n't  say  was  in  his  eyes, 
and  he  knew  she  saw  it. 

"  You,  —  must  n't  forget." 

« I  '11  not." 

What  an  idiotic  fool  he  was  !  Had 
he  lost  all  his  pride  indeed  ?  —  to  so  show 
himself  to  a  woman  who  belonged  to 
another  ?  What  if  she  did  ?  Had  he 
not,  too,  a  right,  if  he  could  get  her  ?  If 
he  could  ?  But  he  did  n't  know  that. 
He  tried  to  harden  his  face ;  and  to  turn 
away,  almost  coldly. 

But  she  called  him  back,  and  as 
strangely  as  the  other  time  her  voice 
sounded  lightly,  almost  joyously. 

"  Colonel  Kenneth,  do  me  a  favor." 

u  Anything,"  he  said,  forgetting  his 
pride. 

"  Well,  it 's  this  ;  I  'm  going  in.  Will 
you  wait  and  tell  me  if  you  hear  from 
Dick.  I  know  you  are  tired.  But  — 
I  'm  selfish.  I  have  such  a  headache.  I 
must  lie  down  a  moment.  You  won't 
mind,  and  I  shall  think  of  Dick,  —  and  of 
2S9 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

you  waiting  for  him,  and  I  shall  feel  al 
most  as  if  he  were  safe." 

Her  face  was  flushing  in  that  dull  light. 

"  You  will,  won't  you,  please  ?  And 
forgive  me  !  " 

"  What  ?  —  for  liking  Fairmount 
more  —  ?  " 

He  spoke  almost  savagely,  and  she 
bridled,  he  thought  afterward. 

"  He  at  least  would  n't  take  that  tone. 
You  forget,  too,  he  has  rights  for  me  — 
to  respect." 

"  I  am  a  brute,"  he  cried ;  "  it 's  I 
who  must  ask  forgiveness." 

She  had  turned  back  to  the  tent  door. 

"  You  '11  do  this  for  me,  I  know." 

She  paused,  looking  up  at  those  bastions 
and  redoubts,  hiding  so  much,  and  went 
in. 

An  hour  passed.  Drums  sounded. 
Challenges  passed.  A  relief  corps  trotted 
by  to  its  post.  The  men  certainly  ap 
peared  jaded,  and  discouraged  enough. 

What  if  something  had  happened  to 
260 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Captain  Jervon  ?  what  of  this  despairful 
sortie  ?  He  felt  in  some  way  responsible, 
not  for  the  sortie,  against  his  own  indeed, 
but  for  Jervon ;  it  was  as  if  she  were  in 
that  tent  trusting  him  to  look  to  Cap 
tain  Jervon.  He  felt  suddenly  power 
less.  What  did  it  all  signify  ?  —  all  that 
he  had  done  ?  or  tried  to  do  ?  He  was  a 
prisoner  with  a  parole  extending  to  the 
first  sentry  line.  Ah,  he  had  not  cared 
for  that  at  first  !  And,  now,  he  was 
thinking  of  this  spirited  girl,  who  dared  so 
much  to  be  with  her  brother,  with  the 
army  of  the  loyal  cause  in  which  she  and 
hers  believed.  At  last  one  of  hers,  Jerome 
Fairmount,  had  not  believed  that  way. 
He  had  waited,  and  weighed  pros  and 
cons ;  only  had  decided  toward  the  end. 
And  how  much  did  policy  enter  even  into 
General  Washington's  character  ?  He, 
the  General,  had  feared  that  Kenneth 
might  hurt  Fairmount  more  than  he  had 
feared  for  Kenneth.  That  was  patent  in 
that  little  talk  after  that  chagrining  duel. 
261 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

But,  if  he  could  not  understand  this  Fair- 
mount,  at  least  he  must  do  him  justice. 
Both  the  Commander-in-Chief  and  a 
woman  like  Charlotte  Jervon  could  agree 
in  respecting,  honoring  the  man.  Yet, 
if  nothing  could  keep  him  from  disliking 
him,  he  at  least  hereafter  would  cultivate 
some  degree  of  self-control  in  speaking  of 
him. 

A  voice  was  over  his  shoulder ;  that 
left  him  glad,  although  it  was  a  voice 
broken,  troubled. 

u  Jervon  !  "  he  managed  to  say.  He 
noticed  his  coat  was  torn,  turned  into 
faded  red,  his  face  blackened. 

u  It 's  only  a  bit  of  powder,  Kenneth. 
Gad,  I  think  I  have  n't  a  scratch.  I  al 
most  wish  I  had,  if  it  were  n't  for  —  " 

"  For  Charlie,"  said  Kenneth,  calling 
her  for  the  first  time  by  that  name. 

"Yes,    Charlie.     Oh,    but    we    had    a 

nasty  time  of  it ;  left   twenty  killed,  and 

taken ;  had  a  battery,  and  spiked  four  guns 

that  were  rather  unpleasant  to  us  here,  when, 

262 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

—  Kenneth,  —  your  dear   French    friends 

—  I  wish  they  were   across  the   Styx  — 
began  their   c  Vive  le   Roi,'  —  and  forced 
us  back.     We  had  to  come  back  to  you 
because  they  were  ten  to  one.     Well,  we 
are  in  the  lines,  and  I  suppose  I  Jll  be  men 
tioned.     Abercrombie  said  so.     But  where 
is  she  ?     In  the  tent,  eh  ?  " 

He  was  gone,  and  presently  Kenneth 
saw  them,  arm  in  arm.  She  even  was 
laughing,  and  nodded  across  to  him  as  if 
she  were  saying,  "  I  thank  you,  Colonel 
Kenneth,  for  bringing  my  brother  out  of 
that  horrid  affair." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Lord  Chewton,  aide 
to  the  General,  came  running  up. 

"  I  have  orders  to  bring  you  to  His 
Lordship,  sir.  Colonel  Tarleton  will 
explain,  I  believe." 

Following  Lord  Chewton,  Kenneth 
looked  back  to  see  them  still  walking  to 
and  fro,  her  face  upturned  to  Captain 
Jervon's  blackened  one. 


263 


Chapter  XII. 

How  my  Lord  Cornwallis  planned 
to  Imitate  a  Certain  Famous  Re 
treat  of  his  Rival ;  but 

How  at  ten  o'clock  of  Oct.  i9th, 
1781,  a  Drummer  in  Red  beat 
a  certain  Parley  from  one  of  His 
Lordship's  Parapets. 

"  npHANKS,  Chewton,"  Banistre  Tar- 
-L  leton  was  saying,  u  I  '11  explain  to 
Mr.  Kenneth,  for  I  believe  His  Lordship 
wishes  you  at  once." 

It  was  then  no  longer  "  Colonel,"  Ken 
neth  noticed.  The  troop  commandant's 
tone  was  irritable,  his  face  weary  and 
vexed.  Yet,  as  if  remembering  himself, 
he  said  with  his  old  good-nature  in  treating 
this  present  prisoner, 

u  Black,  of  the  surgeon's  department,  has 
reported  your  good  favor  of  assistance,  sir." 
264 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Any  one  would  have  done  so  much, 
I  'm  sure." 

a  Perhaps  Mr.  —  ah,  I  '11  have  it, 
c  Colonel  '  Kenneth.  It  is  decent  of  you 
at  any  rate.  I  suggested  to  His  Lordship 
to  ask  you  certain  questions.  General 
O'Hara  said  you  doubtless  would  n't 
answer." 

"  Of  course  no  questions  will  be  asked 
I  could  n't." 

"  It 's  about  your  familiarity  with  that  part 
of  this  province  lying  beyond  Gloucester." 

"  You  doubtless  have  enough  loyalists  in 
your  counsels.  Why  do  you  ask  me,  sir  ? 
There  is  Captain  Jervon." 

"  Opinions  differ  about  a  certain  move 
ment." 

ct  A  movement  ?     Is  Sir  Henry  —  ?  " 

"  No,  not  he.  I  wish  to  Heaven  he,  or 
Graves,  or  Rodney  were  in  the  bay.  But, 
beginning  with  the  ministry,  ending  with 
the  admiralty,  and  incidentally  including  a 
certain  General  now  in  New  York,  every 
thing  has  been  managed  —  wrong — al- 
265 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

most  maliciously  it  seems  to  me.  But  we 
have  n't  given  up.  Do  you  know  I  'd 
rather  surrender  to  you,  —  colonists,  than 
to  those  French  gentlemen.  I  wish  it 
were  Crecy  again.  But,  —  it 's  York 
Town,  worst  luck,  and  French.  You 
may  be  rebel  colonists,  but  you  are  our 
own.  It  is  n't  so  much  for  an  English 
man  to  be  whipped  by  an  Englishman 
defending  an  English  principle,  as  some  at 
home  insist  you  are.  But  it 's  a  matter  of 
a  different  complexion  to  give  in  to  a 
Frenchman.  Yet  —  " 

"  The  Commander-in-Chief  is  Wash 
ington,  —  an  American,  —  an  Englishman, 
before  our  declaration." 

"  That  impertinent  declaration  of  yours 
that  so  angered  the  King." 

"  So  ignored  him,  begging  your  pardon." 
"  Oh,  I  '11  allow  that,  —  if  you  wish." 
"  But  it 's  not  so  serious  as  that  ?  a  sur 
render  ?  "  Kenneth  asked. 

u  No,  not  that,  yet.     We  have  n't  given 
up,  as  I  told  you.     But,  —  I   may  as  well 
266 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

be  frank  since  your  parole  keeps  your 
mouth  shut,  and  as  you  can't  get  out. 
The  truth  is  we  have  n't  a  half-dozen 
guns  fit  for  use.  The  rest  your  precious 
French  and  Colonial  gunners  have  made 
worthless.  Every  hour  we  hear  from  the 
Chief  of  Artillery,  '  one  more  gone.' 
Then  that  little  sortie  failed.  Aber- 
crombie  did  succeed  in  spiking  four  guns, 
but  they  have  commenced  again." 

"  Yes,  the  General  is  ready  to  receive 
Mr.  Kenneth  and  yourself,  Colonel  Tarle- 
ton,"  Lord  Chewton  announced. 

It  seemed  to  Kenneth  as  he  entered  the 
head-quarters,  that  Earl  Cornwallis  had 
aged  even  since  his  last  sight  of  him,  —  his 
eyes  sunken;  his  beard  badly  kept;  his 
neckerchief  disarranged  ;  his  voice  husky ; 
all  betokening  a  man  ill  in  mind  and  body, 
who,  yet,  as  His  Lordship's  lips  declared, 
holds  himself  by  some  of  the  old  master 
fulness. 

And  this  was  he  who  had  made  the 
King's  power  feared  in  the  Carolinas  j 
267 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

who,  it  had  been  said  but  a  few  months 
before,  practically  had  restored  that  shaken 
power ;  a  brave,  clever  man  of  many  ex 
pedients  ;  an  experienced  general  who  was 
to  do  much  in  India,  —  who  was  to  gain 
other  distinction;  a  cold,  self-contained 
man.  What  mental  struggle  is  more  fear 
some  than  that  leading  a  self-held  man 
to  expression  !  My  Lord  of  Cornwallis' 
whole  person  told  his  mental  agony;  for 
at  that  moment  it  was  no  less,  Kenneth 
saw,  and  pitied. 

"  You  are,  —  ah,  I  remember,  Colonel 
Kenneth  of  the  rebels.  I  did  not  expect 
to  have  to  hold  this  place,  Colonel  Ken 
neth.  And  holding  it,  I  have  had  no  sup 
port, —  although  I  have  an  inferior  force, 
now  much  reduced  by  illness  and  death." 

u  I  am  well  aware  of  the  disadvantages 
Your  Lordship  has  been  under  from  the 
first  of  this  siege,"  the  American  Colonel 
of  Dragoons  responded. 

u  Well,  now,  sir,  we  are  going  to  give 
it  up.  We  are  going  to  do  what  Wash- 
268 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ington  did  so  well  on  Long  Island,  —  to 
retreat  to-night.  Knowing  the  country,  do 
you  think  I  may  get  away  ?  Colonel  Tarle- 
ton  said  you  would  answer  with  a  certain 
frankness,  although  we  cannot  expect  you 
to  be  quite  frank.  You  cannot  get  out  of 
the  works ;  I  have  your  parole,  I  believe, 
to  that  effect,  and  that  you  will  not  attempt 
communication  with  the  enemy." 

"  Your  Lordship  means  that  you  intend 
trying  to  cross  to  Gloucester  this  night, 
and  to  retreat  Northward." 

"To  run  before  them  to  New  York; 
exactly,  Colonel  Kenneth." 

"  You  will  have  one  chance  in  a  hun 
dred,  My  Lord,  —  not  more." 

"What  was  the  percentage  for  and 
against  your  own  General  at  Long  Island  ? 
or  when  I  thought  I  had  him  before  he 
surprised  Colonel  Mawhead  at  Princeton  ? " 

u  Perhaps,  —  yes,  My  Lord,  I  '11  grant 
it ;  it  Js  a  chance  not  greatly  different." 

"And  knowing  Virginia,"  His  Lord 
ship  said  now  more  eagerly,  "  do  you  not 
269 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

think,  with  a  day's  march  in  their  van,  I 
might  not  get  away  ?  The  chance  is 
worth  trying,  —  at  least." 

"  At  least  worth  trying,  My  Lord," 
Kenneth  acknowledged. 

"  Colonel  Kenneth,  I  *m  not  to  be  caught 
here,  —  where  the  worst  of  bad  luck  has 
put  me,  —  at  the  mercy  of  a  superior  land 
force,  with  the  most  efficient  fleet  the 
King  of  France  ever  put  on  the  seas  hold 
ing  me  back  on  that  side.  It's  this  or 
nothing,  sir. " 

"  I  feel  the  compliment  of  Your  Lord 
ship  asking  me,"  Kenneth  said.  "  I  of 
course  may  not  be  quite  frank  in  what  I 
say.  My  prejudice  naturally  —  " 

"  Is  with  the  rebels.  Ah,  too  many 
good  Englishmen  in  these  colonies  have 
their  opinions  that  way  for  us  to  fight  very 
spiritedly,  —  now." 

"  We  are  good  Americans  now,  My 
Lord,"  Kenneth  said.  "The  King  has 
made  many  mistakes  —  " 

"  Ah,  His  Majesty's  ministers  have, 
270 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

I  Jll  grant  you,  Colonel  Kenneth.     I  have 
made  mistakes  myself — " 

"  Your  Lordship's  foes  in  war  concede 
your  great  strategy,  My  Lord,"  Kenneth 
answered  sincerely. 

"  I  thank  you,  Colonel  Kenneth,  — 
much  for  this  little  talk.  I  trust,"  My 
Lord  added,  "  that  this  affair  will  turn  out 
to  the  best  of  our  wishes.  Major  Ross, 
you'll  show  Colonel  Kenneth  out.  I 
have  a  word  still  for  Colonel  Tarleton." 

At  Surgeon  Black's  quarters,  Kenneth 
noticed  the  enemy's  firing  again  was 
incessant. 

"You  notice,"  he  said  to  the  aide, 
Major  Alexander  Ross,  u  that  we  over 
there  are  at  it  again  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  help  it  ?  "  the  other  said 
irritably,  and  then,  with  more  self-control : 

"We  are  in  desperate  strait,  Colonel 
Kenneth.  His  Lordship  has  acknowl 
edged  so  much  to  you,  I  believe,  and  why 
should  n't  I  ?  Yet  for  that  little  plan  ? 
Ah,  it 's  uncertain." 

271 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

He  looked  up  at  the  lowering  sky,  for 
the  rain  had  recommenced,  with  an  ac 
companiment  of  wind. 

u  It  does  n't  promise  well.  But,  —  it's 
as  you  wish  it,  sir.  I  suppose  I  shall  hear 
more  of  our  guns  are  disabled.  Good- 
morning,  sir." 

Kenneth  thought  of  the  Major's  Chief, 
whom  he  had  left,  the  disappointed,  de 
feated  General.  Would  the  expedient 
win  ?  By  such  a  rash  attempt  Wolfe 
gained  Quebec  and  Kenneth's  own  Gen 
eral  had  turned  defeat  —  ah,  more  than 
once. 

Suddenly  another  phase  of  war  was  re 
called  by  a  cortege  from  one  of  the  sur 
geon's  enclosures. 

u  It 's  your  friend,  Dorking  of  the 
Seventy-First  —  " 

"  I  thought  —  " 

"  Internal  bleeding." 

"  The  seventh,  this  morning." 

Kenneth  remembered  "  Mrs.  Tom 
Dorking,  the  Peacock,  Brighton  — "  the 
272 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

mother.  Yes,  at  least  the  eight  sovereigns 
should  reach  their  destination,  and  Dork 
ing  was  but  one  who  left  some  one  in 
England  sadder.  He  spoke  to  Black  of 
the  commission,  the  man's  thought  in 
that  dismal  night.  "  We  '11  remember  the 
poor  devil,  Colonel,"  the  surgeon  said. 
"  Yes,  there 's  the  package  inside  his 
jacket.  Demme,  Kenneth,  I  believe  even 
war  can  get  monotonous,  —  as  Mr.  Fox 
remarked  to  the  ministry." 

The  dull  day  dragged. 

The  companies  passed  back  to  their 
duties,  as  the  afternoon's  new  movement 
was  evidenced.  Kenneth  looked  toward 
Gloucester,  and  he  longed  to  be  in  his 
own  camp,  —  to  tell  them.  How  that 
would  interest !  For  what  if  His  Lord 
ship  should  succeed  in  giving  them  the 
slip  ? 

The  rain  by  this  time  was  lessening, 
and  Kenneth  thought  it  promised  to  clear. 

Remembering  his  duty  as  volunteer  in 
the  hospital  service,  he  again  turned  to 

18  273 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

this   work    with   a   memory    of  the    dead 
Dorking. 

"  We  are  to  be  left,  Colonel  Kenneth, 
—  the  sick,  wounded,  and  greater  part  of 
the  stores." 

"  You  know  about  it  then,  Doctor? " 

"  I  have  my  orders  to  that  effect,  and 
the  Surgeon-General's  letter  to  deliver  to 
General  Washington." 

"  How  about  the  prisoners  ?  " 

u  I  suppose  your  parole  is  to  be  extended ; 
but,  still,  you  will  be  on  parole." 

He  wanted  to  ask  about  Charlotte  Jer- 
von,  whom  he  had  not  seen  since  he  had 
left  her  when  Lord  Chewton  had  brought 
Lord  Cornwallis'  summons. 

Going  outside,  relieved  from  his  duty 
for  a  moment,  he  saw  more  evidences  of 
the  attempted  movement.  It  was  now  sun 
down,  a  clear  sky  above,  but  black  clouds 
massed  both  at  the  west  and  east ;  and  the 
promise  of  storm  with  the  freshening  breeze 
seaward  might  be  fulfilled. 

Charlotte  Jervon  came  towards  him,  in 
274 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

a  simple  gown,  that  made  her  look  fair  at 
that  moment.  She  was  rested,  and  there 
was  a  dash  of  the  old  color  over  her 
face. 

"  They  will  not  let  me  go,  Colonel  Ken 
neth.  Dick  and  I  are  to  be  parted.  I 
can  speak  to  you  because  Dick  tells  me 
His  Lordship  called  you  into  the  con 
ference." 

"  I  had  that  honor,"  Kenneth  said.  "  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  look  so  much  better." 

"  I  must  have  been  a  fright  the  last 
days." 

"  You  have  been  wearing  yourself  out 
with  worry  and  work  over  the  wounded." 

"  I  have  only  done  my  duty,  Colonel 
Kenneth.  I  never  can  thank  you  enough 
for  having  let  me  come  here." 

"  I  never  can  blame  myself  enough." 

u  Not  if  it  has  pleased  me,  Colonel 
Kenneth  ?  " 

"  I  should  n't  have  let  you.     Oh,  no,  I 
was  culpable.     Still  it  has  been  pleasant  to 
see  you,  for  these  few  minutes  at  a  time." 
275 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Hush,  Colonel  Kenneth.  Are  you 
sorry  it  is  all  over,  as  it  seems,  here  ?  " 

"  I  must  be  glad,  —  for  ours,  and  for 
you." 

"  They  can 't  go  together,  Colonel  Ken 
neth.  This  —  is  frightful  for  the  King's 
cause.  Poor  Dick  is  terribly  troubled." 

"  And  his  sister ;  I  know  they  both  must 
be." 

"  And  when  they  have  crossed,  do  you 
think  they  will  be  able  to  break  through  the 
French  there  ?  " 

"  That  is  not  impossible.  The  danger 
will  be  afterward,  as  well  as  at  first  in 
crossing  to  Gloucester." 

u  You  mean,"  she  said,  understanding, 
"  if  the  rebels  knew  they  might  attempt  an 
assault." 

"  It  seems  to  me  as  if  His  Lordship  had 
admitted  too  many  persons  to  his  confi 
dence." 

"  Perhaps  he  has  n't  so  many.  But  my 
anxiety  is  for  my  brother,  Colonel  Ken 
neth." 

276 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  Oh,  don't  be  troubled.  Piease  forgive 
me.  I  know  you  can't  help  it ;  but  it  '11 
not  be  so  dangerous  an  affair  as  the  sortie 
last  night." 

"  I  know.  I  wish  him  in  it  all,  Colonel 
Kenneth  ;  and  yet  —  " 

"  I  wish  I  were  in  it,"  he  cried  with  a 
yearning  for  his  suddenly  interrupted  ac 
tivity.  "  Here  am  I  a  prisoner  in  York 
Town  ;  knowing  they  may  escape,  and  un 
able  to  send  a  word,  —  to  do  a  thing  —  " 

"  And  you  have  been  kind  in  that  hos 
pital  work,  —  so  kind,  Colonel  Kenneth." 

"  I  have  done  only  what  little  I  should 
have." 

"  You  have  been  brave  in  captivity. 
Ah,  there  is  our  Captain.  His  face  is  n't 
so  black  as  it  was  this  morning,  and  he  has 
a  new  coat.  But  I  never  was  happier  at 
seeing  him  than  when  he  had  the  torn  one, 
and  the  powdered  face." 

"  I  can  believe  you." 

"  Oh,  how  are  you,  Kenneth,"  said 
Captain  Jervon  joining  them.  "  I  have 
277 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

just  a  moment,  Charlie,  before  I  shall  be 
off  again." 

"  I  am  always  saying  good-by  to  you, 
Richard  Jervon,"  said  she. 

u  But  I  always  turn  up,  as  prisoner 
or  something." 

"  You  sha'n't  be  a  prisoner  again." 

"  Oh,  we  can't  tell,"  said  Jervon, 
gloomily.  "We  can't  tell.  Come  here, 
Charlie,  I  want  to  say  a  word  to  you. 
Good-night,  Kenneth." 

And  brother  and  sister  left  him  standing 
there,  noting  again  how  much  alike  they 
were.  He  saw  neither  for  some  time  after. 
He  was  restless.  The  camp  indeed  held  a 
hushed  expectancy. 

About  ten  o'clock  when  again  the  firing 
almost  had  stopped,  the  embarkation  began. 
The  night  was  very  dark.  The  easterly 
wind  had  died  away,  and  the  boats,  of  which 
only  sixteen  could  be  had,  made  at  first  an 
easy  crossing.  The  scanty  means  of  trans 
portation,  however,  left  it  a  slow  one. 

Hours  lagged.  The  companies  on 
278 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

guard  were  withdrawn  from  the  works,  the 
allies  indeed  not  suspecting.  Again  our 
Lieutenant-Colonel  longed  to  violate  his 
parole,  to  try  to  run  for  it,  and  to  tell  them 
before  it  was  all  too  late.  How  delighted 
Colonel  Armand,  his  old  commandant, 
would  be  to  know !  How  the  "  little 
General,"  would  like  to  dash  over  those 
silenced  defences  against  the  enemy  who 
so  recently  had  made  him  run  and  run. 

Yet  the  chance  was  desperate,  and 
Kenneth  felt  a  certain  sympathy,  as  I  have 
said,  for  this  defeated  foe  at  his  last 
extremity. 

Just  then  was  lightning,  and  an  angry 
thunder-clap,  and  a  scurry  of  rain,  and  a 
rush  of  wind.  A  voice  had  come  out  of 
the  sky.  The  little  waves  on  the  York 
Town  beach  began  to  roll  ominously. 

"  That 's  a  bad  turn  of  the  weather," 
commented  Surgeon  Black  at  our  paroled 
prisoner's  shoulder,  as  they  stepped  under 
a  ready  canvas.  One  pushed  hastily  by, 
preceded  by  two  others  with  lanterns. 
279 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

« My  Lord,  the  General,"  Black  said. 
"  Only  the  light  infantry,  the  greater  part 
of  the  guards,  and  some  of  the  Twenty- 
Third  are  across.  I  don't  like  this  blow. 
I  have  seen  that  bit  of  water  near  im 
passable." 

A  sense  of  doom  settled  over  all  in  York 
Town. 

No  boat  could  live  in  that  storm  ;  those 
that  put  out  last  were  forced  down  stream. 
So  the  surgeon  who  had  pushed  out  into 
the  storm  brought  Kenneth  word. 

"  It 's  two  o'clock  now,  and  the  order 
has  been  passed  to  stop  the  embarkation. 
Half  the  army  is  on  this  side ;  half  on 
the  other." 

"  If  ours  knew  ?  " 

"  Demme  they  don't,  man,  I  hope,"  the 
surgeon  said. 

The  rain  dashed  torrents.  The  wind 
tossed  and  pushed  the  tent  where  they 
were.  Kenneth  thought  of  Charlotte  Jer- 
von,  who  must  have  been  fearful  enough 
that  dragging  night. 

280 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

He  looked  out  at  the  hurrying  figures. 

u  You  would  better  take  some  sleep,  Mr. 
Kenneth,"  the  surgeon  said  kindly,  as  on 
the  other  occasion,  and  yet  his  voice 
sounded  gruffly.  Kenneth  did  not  wonder 
at  it. 

"We  may  need  your  assistance  again. 
We  can't  tell  how  many  fractures,  and 
worse,  I  may  have  on  my  hands  by  dawn. 
How  that  storm  howls  !  It 's  as  demons 
trative  as  the  enemy's  guns  were  yesterday. 
They  seemed  to  have  stopped  now,  —  out 
of  respect  for  the  storm,  I  fancy.  D  'ye 
know  they  say  we  have  n't  a  gun  that  can 
speak  back  ?  and  the  works  all  going  to 
ruin.  Turn  in,  Mr.  Kenneth  !  " 

Ah,  good  Scot  surgeon,  good  subject  of 
His  Majesty,  George  the  Third,  by  grace 
of  God,  King  of  Great  Britain,  but  no 
longer  King  of  certain  colonies,  —  ah,  Sur 
geon  Black,  it  was  your  own  fierce  disap 
pointment  at  the  way  matters  had  turned 
which  left  you  addressing  this  Virginian 
gentleman  now  as  simple  "  Mr."  Let 
281 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

them  beat  us,  if  they  could,  Black,  surgeon 
in  His  Majesty's  service,  at  least  would  deny 
them  right  to  military  titles. 

Kenneth  had  had  no  sleep  since  the  previ 
ous  evening,  and  was  not  loth  to  avail  him 
self  of  the  surgeon's  suggestion.  The  storm 
roared  above.  Everything  rattled.  But 
Lord  Cornwallis'  army  was  divided,  some 
on  the  Gloucester  short,  some  left  in  York 
Town,  by  favor  of  this  blow  which  sent 
the  river  rolling  waves  not  to  be  ridden  by 
such  boats  as  His  Lordship  commanded. 

But  how  was  it  with  Charlotte  Jervon  ? 

The  roaring,  swearing  wind  (Kenneth 
remembered  a  sailor  who  declared  that 
the  wind  sometimes  swore)  —  this  unruly, 
angry  wind  left  his  fears  more  troublous. 
Yet  complete  weariness  prevailed. 

The  storm  had  died.  The  wind  no 
longer  blew  out  of  the  sea  to  Lord  Corn 
wallis'  discomfiture.  But  a  sound  —  the 
old  familiar  roll,  and  roar,  and  tear  of  guns 
—  fell  on  the  sleeper's  awakening  sense. 
Rubbing  his  eyes  he  was  outside,  noting 
282 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

the  clouds  had  parted  and  that  a  sun  — 
which  marked  nine  in  the  morning  —  was 
trying  to  break  through  mist  and  smoke. 
The  roar  was  all  from  outside.  No  reply 
at  all  was  made  from  the  works. 

"  They  're  stilled  as  I  told  you  last  night, 
man,"  said  the  Scot  surgeon. 

He  looked  a  man  who  had  had  a  run  of 
fever;  sleeplessness,  worry,  fear,  rage,  all 
were  in  those  worn  eyes. 

u  I  have  n't  given  much  attention  to  the 
sick.  Demme,  the  rest  of  the  corps  can 
do  that.  I  can't  stand  this  kind  of  thing. 
We  're  trying  to  get  our  men  back  from 
Gloucester.  Their  shot  is  worse  than 
that  hellish  storm,  man.  Eh,  there  's  His 
Lordship." 

Yes,  there  walked  His  Lordship,  wrapped 
in  a  great  coat,  —  My  Lord,  the  General, 
bent  and  jaded, —  and,  about,  officers  of  the 
staff,  the  engineers,  and  artillery. 

"  He  's  a  sick  man." 

"  Yes,"  assented   Kenneth.     "  Yes." 

Then  was  a  strange,  fearful  thing.       ? 
283 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

And  yet  this  was  but  a  boy  in  red  who 
stood  on  one  of  the  high  parapets  facing 
the  shot. 

What  did  he  mean  ? 

"  A  drummer,"  said  Black. 

The  red  coated  drummer  began  to  beat. 
You  could  not  hear  him.  The  noise 
made  that  impossible.  You  could  see  him. 
You  could  feel  every  drum  tap.  Suddenly 
another  was  by  his  side,  a  tall  officer,  Major 
Alexander  Ross,  aide-de-camp  to  My 
Lord  of  Cornwallis.  Red  were  the  coats 
against  smoke  and  mist.  The  persevering 
sun  brought  out  the  colors  clearly.  The 
drummer  tapped  vigorously,  despairfully. 
You  could  not  hear  him  yet.  Suddenly, 
My  Lord's  aide-de-camp  raises  a  flag, — 
a  white  flag. 

The  roar  dies  away  dismally :  a  groan 
through  poor,  shaken  York  Town. 

"  My  God !  My  God  !  "  cries  the  Scotch 
surgeon. 

My  Lord  the  General  is  still  in  the  fore 
ground,  with  the  little  group  of  officers. 
284 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

He  turns  away  dejectedly  toward  his 
quarters.  The  morning  has  grown 
strangely,  ay,  fearfully  still.  You  can 
hear  the  drum  beats  from  that  parapet 
now. 

A  girl  stood  at  her  tent  door  watching. 
Tears  were  in  her  eyes. 

"  It 's  terrible,"  said  she.     "  Terrible." 

"  It 's  war,  dear,"  he  answered  not  know 
ing  what  he  said. 

"  And  my  poor  uncle  at  Jervon  House  ! 
It  will  kill  him." 

"I  am  thinking  of  you." 

"  And  Dick,  who  was  taken  with  Bur- 
goyne's,  is  taken  —  again.  Will  they  ?  — 
will  they  hold  it  against  him  —  what  he 
did  at  Charlottesville  —  in  leading  Colonel 
Tarleton  there  ?  " 

"  They  will  forget  it,"  said  he.  "  Ah, 
yes,  we  will  make  them.  Oh,  my  dear, 
why  do  you  look  so  sad  ?  I  will  not  have 
it.  You  must  not.  It  hurts  me." 

u  It  must  not.  You  have  no  right, 
Kenneth." 

285 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

She  turned  back  and  gave  him  her  hand 
and  looked  into  his  eyes,  —  for  one  mo 
ment  ;  and,  turning  again,  left  him. 

The  drummer  on  the  parapet  no  longer 
beat. 

The  hush  of  defeat  and  of  victory  lay 
over  York  Town. 

The  sun  of  the  clearing  October  morn 
ing  battled  with  mist  and  smoke. 


286 


Chapter  XIII. 

How  Lord  Cornwallis'  Army  marched 
between  the  lines  of  the  Allies  to 
the  tune  "The  World  Turned 
Upside  Down." 

FOR  two  hours,  the  General-in-Chief 
of  Congress  and  King  Louis,  said  he 
would  wait  for  Earl  Cornwallis'  proposals. 
The  blindfolded  officer  with  the  white  flag 
listened,  and  thought  the  victors  arbitrary. 
But  then  victory  leaves  the  victor  so.  Our 
officer,  perhaps,  ground  his  teeth. 

His  General,  Earl  Cornwallis,  had  asked 
for  a  suspension  of  hostilities  for  twenty- 
four  hours ;  he  would  return  within  the 
two  hours  with  His  Lordship's  explana 
tion  of  that  he  wished.  They  knew  the 
dire  strait  my  Lord  was  in ;  they  could  n't 
help  knowing. 

If  the  fleet  might  appear  in  the  bay 
even  now,  and  scatter  the  French  in  the 
287 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

old  British  way  in  sea  fights  !  our  envoy 
may  have  exclaimed. 

The  officer  on  that  sorry  duty  was  back 
at  his  headquarters.  There  his  General  still 
kept  his  self-control,  although  plainly  a  man 
ill  in  heart  and  body.  He  would  ask  for 
all  he  could  under  the  circumstances,  —  that 
his  troops  should  be  sent  to  England  under 
a  parole  not  to  serve  during  this  war,  either 
against  the  United  States  or  France. 

Again  the  envoy  returned. 

"  Inadmissible,"  said  the  General-in- 
Chief  of  the  Allies.  He  was  thinking, 
too,  of  that  long-delayed  fleet  appearing 
and  breaking  up  the  Comte-de-Grasse's 
blockade  of  the  foe's  port.  His  Lordship 
must  surrender  on  the  exact  terms  of  the 
American  surrender  (the  capitulation  that 
still  rankled)  at  Charlestown. 

Back  to  York  Town  came  the  envoy, 
rather  more  disheartened  than  before,  if 
that  were  possible. 

We  can  imagine  the  discussion,  —  the 
hardness  of  the  condition  ;  but  the  Gene- 
288 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

ral  of  the  King  of  England  was  but  a 
beggar  now.  He  must  do  this,  or  put  his 
poor  remnant  to  certain  slaughter.  Well, 
let  the  commissioners  meet  on  that  basis. 

And  the  night  of  truce  came  on  and 
passed  wearily.  You  may  suppose  there 
was  great  jubilancy  in  the  French  and 
American  lines,  and  the  most  horrid  cha 
grin  in  the  British.  In  the  morning  His 
Lordship's  commissioners,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Dundas  and  Major  Alexander 
Ross,  met  Viscount  de  Noailles,  for  le 
Comte  de  Rochambeau,  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Laurens,  for  His  Excellency,  the 
General-in-Chief. 

All  day  they  worked  over  the  terms  ; 
the  victors  insistent,  the  conquered  per 
sistent. 

"  Colors  are  to  be  cased,  and  drums  to 
beat  a  British  or  German  march.  That 
was  the  way  you  made  us  beat  our  tune  at 
Charlestown,"  Laurens  insisted. 

"  But    His  Lordship  did  not  command 
there,"  said  the  other. 
19  289 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  It  was  the  English,  Major,  as  now. 
This  remains  an  article,  or  I  cease  to  be 
commissioner,"  Laurens  cried. 

You  may  believe  they  wanted  to  say, 
"  Make  it  so  if  you  can." 

But  the  victors  could,  would,  did,  as  is 
the  way  of  victors. 

u  Yet  there  's  an  air  we  can  find,  — 
perhaps,"  said  the  chagrined  Major. 

u  There  's  that  old  march,  do  you  know 
it  ?  "  Dundas  asked  grimly  :  "  *  The 
World  Turned  Upside  Down.'" 

The  prisoners  of  war  in  York  Town 
knew,  when  the  drummer  beat  from  the 
parapet,  they  could  expect  freedom ;  Ken 
neth  that  his  parole  need  not  be  kept  after, 
perhaps,  the  morrow. 

He  had  not  seen  Charlotte  Jervon  again 
on  the  seventeenth. 

Through  the  stilled  seventeenth,  and  its 
quiet  night,  he  did  not  attempt  to  go  near 
her.  But  in  the  morning  he  knew  he 
must. 

He  started,  intending  to  ask  Mrs,. 
290 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

Quartermaster  Leighton,  or  one  of  Char 
lotte  Jervon's  servants.  Nearing  the  tent, 
he  saw  some  one  who  made  him  turn  about 
suddenly. 

This  was  Jerome  Fairmount,  as  calmly 
perfect  as  ever,  who  naturally  was  there 
to  ask  about  Miss  Jervon.  He  bowed 
coldly  to  the  prisoner-of-war,  and  passed 
on,  and  Captain  Jervon  met  him.  Ken 
neth  did  not  see  him  again  that  day ;  and 
he  tried  to  avoid  both  Captain  Jervon  and 
his  sister.  He  only  chafed  under  the 
negotiations  which  delayed  his  freedom, 
and  the  meeting  he  anticipated  with  his 
comrades. 

But  the  next  morning  Lord  Corn- 
wallis'  two  commissioners  were  seen  in 
the  lines. 

"  The  articles  are  signed,  I  fancy,"  the 
Scot  surgeon  said  almost  fiercely. 

At  noon  two  flags  appeared  in  the  re 
doubts  at  the  left.  Kenneth  recognized 
Colonel  Butler,  the  commandant  under 
his  own  flag.  The  King  of  France's 
291 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

colors  headed  a  hundred  men  led  by  the 
Marquis  Laval. 

A  black,  William,  the  Jervons'  servant, 
asked  for  Colonel  Kenneth.  Miss  Jervon 
begged  the  Colonel  to  come  to  her,  if  he 
would  kindly. 

Yes,  the  Colonel  would  ;  but  he  went 
rather  coldly.  He  now  had  no  intention 
of  trespassing  on  what  was  plainly  another's 
preserve. 

If  her  face  were  tired,  worn,  she  yet 
appeared  charming  he  thought,  as  she 
stood  there  in  her  habit. 

"Poor  Dick  Jervon,"  she  was  saying; 
u  he  has  gone  to  join  in  his  part  of  the 
surrender.  I  thought  I  could  not  bear  to 
see  it." 

"  Why  do  you,  then  ?  "  Kenneth  asked. 
He  was  forgetting  his  good  resolutions. 

"  Would  you  have  me,  Colonel  Ken 
neth,  not  dare  to  look  at  that  of  which  my 
brother  is  a  part  ?  If  he  is  humiliated,  I 
can  at  least  let  him  know  I  am  watching, 
and  wish  him  brave  in  defeat.  That  is 
292 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

why  British  soldiers  win  so  much,  Colonel 
Kenneth." 

"  Yes,  and  why  we  are  winning  at 
last." 

u  Will  you  return  to  your  corps  ?  " 

"  I  seem  to  be  forgotten.  I  even  don't 
know  whether  my  parole  may  be  over." 

"  It  must  be,  since  your  soldiers  have 
possession  of  the  redoubts.  But,  —  Colo 
nel  Kenneth,  I  intended  to  ask  you  to  act 
as  my  escort  to  —  " 

"  May  I,  Miss  Jervon  ?  " 

"  If  they  have  forgotten  you,  I  have  n't. 
Ah,  it  has  begun  !  Do  you  hear  ?  What 
are  the  drums  playing  ?  " 

He  was  helping  her  into  the  saddle ; 
was  mounting  one  of  her  horses  she  said 
was  at  his  disposal,  and  side  by  side,  Wil 
liam  following,  they  rode  out  to  view  that 
scene. 

"  What  is  that  air  ?  "  she  asked  again. 

"It's  'The  World  Turned  Upside 
Down.'  Yes,  it  is." 

"  Yes,  the  world  is,"  said  she. 
293 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

The  captive  army  moving  along  the 
Hampton  Road  appeared  like  masters  in 
their  new  uniforms ;  had  it  not  been  for 
the  dogged  faces,  —  the  set  expressions, — 
the  repressed  fierceness  that  led  some  to 
break  their  muskets. 

"  They  said  they  should  appear  like 
soldiers  of  a  great  king  defeated  because 
His  Majesty  is  fighting  in  many  places.  I 
think  the  new  uniforms  are  appropriate, 
Colonel  Kenneth.  Look  at  Dick !  Do 
you  see  him  there  ?  Poor  Dick,  — -  it  is 
hard  enough  for  him." 

"  And  where  is  Lord  Cornwallis  ?  " 

"  111.  He  could  n't  endure  it,  Colonel 
Kenneth.  You  can  understand.  Gene 
ral  O'Hara  has  His  Lordship's  sword,  I 
believe." 

Kenneth  looked  at  the  two  lines  now 
drawn  up.  He  should  be  there.  But,  as 
he  had  said,  they  apparently  had  forgotten 
him  !  And  he  was  here,  with  Charlotte 
Jervon. 

He  saw  faces,  so  many  of  them  familiar, 
294 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

so  many  dear,  —  saw  Armand,  Marquis  de 
la  Ronarie,  whom  he  had  served  so  long  ; 
the  "little  Marquis,"  too;  saw  the  great 
General,  and  on  the  other  side  King  Louis' 
officers ;  saw  many  who  had  been  with 
him  during  the  long  years  of  hard  service. 
Between  the  lines,  the  English  Army 
marched,  well  appointed,  brave,  efficient 
soldiers.  The  green  and  white  of  the 
French  shone  as  one  line;  the  Americans 
were  on  the  other,  appearing  poorly,  ill 
uniformed,  tattered  and  torn,  yet  victorious. 
He  was  tattered,  torn,  and,  —  defeated. 

"  I  saw  Fairmount  yesterday." 

"  Yes." 

"  I  dislike  him,  —  still.    I  can't  help  it." 

"  You  should  n't.  He  is  just,  Mr. 
Kenneth,  and  kind." 

"  I  know.  I  have  General  Washing 
ton's  and  your  words,  and  he  spared  me 
once,  as  you  know." 

"  Yes,  and  he  told  me  ;  it  was,  he  said, 
because  he  knew  I  liked  you,  —  although 
he  hated  you,  I  think." 
295 


The  Scarlet  Coat 

"  And  he  did  that  —  for  you  ?  " 

u  Yes,  he  has  done  more ;  he  has  re 
leased  me." 

Her  voice  was  low;  her  eyes  on  the 
scene  before. 

"  You  mean  —  ?  " 

"  I  respect  him." 

"  I  know  that." 

«  But  —  "  Her  voice,  too,  broke.  "  I 
love  you." 

At  that  moment  General  O'Hara — who 
represented  Earl  Cornwallis  in  this  pageant 
—  was  tendering  his  Chiefs  sword  to 
General  Lincoln,  who  stood  for  General 
Washington.  Immediately  General  Lin 
coln,  while  acknowledging  this  act  of 
submission,  courteously  returned  that  cap 
tive  sword,  —  the  emblem  of  the  Capitula 
tion  of  York  Town. 

The  drummers  beat  again  the  refrain, 
"  The  World  Turned  Upside  Down." 


296 


In  Epilogue 


THE    OFFICIAL    LETTERS    OF 
THE    COMMANDERS 

Earl  Cornwallis  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 

AT  YORK  TOWN  OCT.  zoth,  1781. 

SIR,  —  I  have  the  mortification  to  inform 
Your  Excellency  that  I  have  been  forced  to  give 
up  the  posts  of  York  and  Gloucester,  and  to  sur 
render  the  troops  under  my  command,  by  capitu 
lation  on  the  1 9th  instant,  as  prisoners  of  war  to 
the  combined  forces  of  America  and  France. 

I  never  saw  this  post  in  a  very  favorable  light ; 
but  when  I  found  I  was  to  be  attacked  in  it,  in  so  un 
prepared  a  state,  by  so  powerful  an  army  and  ar 
tillery,  nothing  but  the  hopes  of  relief  would  have 
induced  me  to  attempt  its  defence  5  for  I  would 
either  have  endeavored  to  escape  to  New  York  by 
rapid  marches  from  the  Gloucester  side,  imme 
diately  on  the  arrival  of  General  Washington's 
troops  at  Williamsburgh,  or,  I  would,  notwith 
standing  the  disparity  of  numbers,  have  attacked 
them  in  the  open  field,  where  it  might  have  been 
297 


In  Epilogue 

just  possible  that  fortune  would  have  favored  the 
gallantry  of  the  handful  of  troops  under  my  com 
mand.  But,  being  assured  by  Your  Excellency's 
letters  that  every  possible  means  would  be  tried 
by  the  navy  and  army  to  relieve  us,  I  could  not 
think  myself  at  liberty  to  venture  upon  either  of 
those  desperate  attempts  ;  therefore,  after  remain 
ing  for  two  days  in  a  strong  position  in  front  of 
this  place,  in  hopes  of  being  attacked,  upon  observ 
ing  that  the  enemy  were  taking  measures  which 
could  not  fail  of  turning  my  left  flank  in  a  short 
time,  and  receiving  on  the  second  evening  your 
letter  of  the  24th  of  September,  that  the  relief 
would  sail  about  the  5th  of  October,  I  withdrew 
within  the  works  on  the  night  of  the  29th  of 
September,  hoping  by  the  labor  and  firmness  of 
the  soldiers  to  protect  the  defence  until  you  could 
arrive.  Everything  was  to  be  expected  from  the 
spirit  of  the  troops  ;  but  every  disadvantage  at 
tended  their  labor,  as  the  work  was  to  be  con 
tinued  under  the  enemy's  fire,  and  our  stock  of 
intrenching  tools,  which  did  not  much  exceed 
four  hundred  when  we  began  to  work  in  the 
latter  end  of  August,  was  now  much  diminished, 

The  enemy  broke  ground  on  the  night  of  the 

3oth,  and  constructed  on  that  night,  and  the  two 

following   days  and  nights,  two  redoubts,  which 

with  some  works  that  had  belonged  to  our  out- 

298 


In  Epilogue 

ward  position  occupied  a  gorge  between  two 
creeks  or  ravines,  which  come  from  the  river  on 
each  side  of  the  town.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of 
October  they  made  their  first  parallel,  extending 
from  its  right  on  the  river  to  a  deep  ravine  on  the 
left  nearly  opposite  to  the  centre  of  this  place, 
and  embracing  our  whole  left,  at  the  distance  of 
six  hundred  yards.  Having  perfected  this  par 
allel,  their  batteries  opened  on  the  evening  of  the 
9th  against  our  left ;  and  other  batteries  fired  at 
the  same  time  against  a  redoubt  over  a  creek  upon 
our  right,  and  defended  by  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men  of  the  23rd  regiment  and  marines 
who  maintained  that  post  with  uncommon  gal 
lantry.  The  fire  continued  incessant  from  heavy 
cannon,  and  from  mortars  and  howitzers,  throwing 
shells  from  eight  to  sixteen  inches,  until  all  our 
guns  on  the  left  were  silenced,  our  work  much 
damaged,  and  our  loss  of  men  considerable.  On 
the  night  of  the  nth  they  began  their  second 
parallel,  about  three  hundred  yards  nearer  to  us. 
The  troops  being  much  weakened  by  sickness,  as 
well  as  by  the  fire  of  the  besiegers,  and  observing 
that  the  enemy  had  not  only  secured  their  flanks 
but  proceeded  in  every  respect  with  the  utmost 
regularity  and  caution,  I  could  not  venture  so 
large  sorties  as  to  hope  from  them  any  considerable 
effect  ;  but  otherwise,  I  did  everything  in  my 
299 


In  Epilogue 

power  to  interrupt  their  work,  by  opening  new 
embrasures  for  guns,  and  keeping  up  a  constant 
fire  with  all  the  howitzers  and  small  mortars  we 
could  man.  On  the  evening  of  the  i4th  they 
assaulted  and  carried  two  redoubts  that  had  been 
advanced  about  three  hundred  yards  for  the  pur 
pose  of  delaying  their  approaches  and  covering 
our  left  flank,  and  during  the  night  included  them 
in  their  second  parallel,  on  which  they  continued 
to  work  with  the  utmost  exertion.  Being  per 
fectly  sensible  that  our  works  could  not  stand 
many  hours  after  the  opening  of  the  batteries  of 
that  parallel,  we  not  only  continued  a  constant 
fire  with  all  our  mortars,  and  every  gun  that 
could  be  brought  to  bear  on  it,  but  a  little 
before  daybreak,  on  the  morning  of  the  loth, 
I  ordered  a  sortie  of  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  under  the  direction  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Abercrombie,  to  attack  two  batteries, 
which  appeared  to  be  in  the  greatest  forwardness, 
and  to  spike  the  guns. 

A  detachment  of  guards  with  the  Eightieth 
Company  of  Grenadiers,  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Lake,  attacked  the  one  j  and 
one  of  light  infantry,  under  the  command  of  Major 
Armstrong,  attacked  the  other  j  and  both  succeeded, 
by  forcing  the  redoubts  that  covered  them,  spiking 
eleven  guns,  and  killing  or  wounding  about  one 
300 


In   Epilogue 

hundred  of  the  French  troops  who  had  the  guard 
of  that  part  of  the  trenches,  and  with  little  loss  on 
our  side.  The  action,  though  extremely  honor 
able  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  executed  it, 
proved  of  little  public  advantage  ;  for  the  cannon, 
having  been  spiked  in  a  hurry,  were  soon  ren 
dered  fit  for  service  again  ;  and  before  dark  the 
whole  parallel  and  batteries  appeared  to  be  nearly 
complete.  At  this  time  we  knew  that  there  was 
no  part  of  the  whole  front  attacked  on  which  we 
could  throw  a  single  gun,  and  our  shells  were 
nearly  expended  ;  I  had  therefore  only  to  choose 
between  preparing  to  surrender  next  day,  or  en 
deavoring  to  get  off  with  the  greatest  part  of  the 
troops  ;  and  I  determined  to  attempt  the  latter, 
reflecting  that,  though  it  should  prove  unsuccessful 
in  its  immediate  object,  it  might  at  least  delay  the 
enemy  in  the  prosecution  of  further  enterprises. 
Sixteen  large  boats  were  prepared,  and  upon  other 
pretexts  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  receive 
troops  precisely  at  ten  o'clock  j  with  these  I  hoped 
tocpass  the  infantry  during  the  night  ;  abandoning 
our  baggage,  and  leaving  a  detachment  to  capitu 
late  for  the  towns-people,  and  the  sick  and 
wounded  ;  on  which  subject  a  letter  was  ready  to 
be  delivered  to  General  Washington.  After 
making  my  arrangements  with  the  utmost  secrecy, 
the  light  infantry,  greatest  part  of  the  guards,  and 
301 


In   Epilogue 

part  of  the  Twenty-Third  regiment  landed  at 
Gloucester  j  but  at  this  critical  moment,  the 
weather,  from  being  moderate  and  calm,  changed 
to  a  violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  and  drove  all 
the  boats,  some  of  which  had  troops  on  board, 
down  the  river.  It  was  soon  evident  that  the  in 
tended  passage  was  impracticable  ;  and  the  absence 
of  the  boats  rendered  it  equally  impossible  to  bring 
back  the  troops  that  had  passed,  which  I  had 
ordered  about  two  in  the  morning.  In  this  situa 
tion,  with  my  little  force  divided,  the  enemy's 
batteries  opened  at  daybreak.  The  passage  be 
tween  this  place  and  Gloucester  was  much  exposed  ; 
but  the  boats  having  now  returned,  they  were 
ordered  to  bring  back  the  troops  that  had  passed 
during  the  night,  and  they  joined  in  the  forenoon 
without  much  loss.  Our  works  in  the  mean  time 
were  going  to  ruin  5  and  not  having  been  able  to 
strengthen  them  by  abatis,  nor  in  any  other  man 
ner  than  by  a  light  fraizing,  which  the  enemy's 
artillery  were  demolishing  wherever  they  fired,  my 
opinions  entirely  coincided  with  that  of  the  engineer 
and  principal  officers  of  the  army,  that  they  were 
in  many  places  assailable  in  the  forenoon,  and 
that  by  the  continuance  of  the  same  fire  for  a  few 
hours  longer,  they  would  be  in  such  a  state  as  to 
render  it  desperate,  with  our  numbers,  to  attempt 
to  maintain  them.  We  at  that  time  could  not 
302 


In  Epilogue 

fire  a  single  gun  ;  only  one  eight-inch  and  little 
more  than  a  hundred  cohorn  shells  remained  ;  a 
diversion  by  the  French  ships  of  war  that  lay  at 
the  mouth  of  the  York  River  was  to  be  expected. 
Our  numbers  had  been  diminished  by  the  enemy's 
fire,  but  particularly  by  sickness  j  and  the  strength 
and  spirit  of  those  in  the  works  were  much  ex 
hausted  by  the  fatigue  of  constant  watching  and 
unremitting  duty.  Under  all  these  circumstances, 
I  thought  it  would  have  been  wanton  and  inhuman 
to  the  last  degree  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  this  small 
body  of  gallant  soldiers,  who  had  ever  behaved 
with  so  much  fidelity  and  courage,  by  exposing 
them  to  an  assault  which,  from  the  numbers  and 
precautions  of  the  enemy,  could  not  fail  to  succeed. 
I  therefore  proposed  to  capitulate,  and  I  have  the 
honor  to  enclose  to  Your  Excellency  the  copy  of 
the  correspondence  between  General  Washington 
and  me  on  that  subject,  and  the  terms  of  the 
capitulation  agreed  upon.  I  sincerely  lament  that 
better  could  not  be  obtained  ;  but  I  have  neglected 
nothing  in  my  power  to  alleviate  the  misfortune 
and  distress  of  both  officers  and  soldiers.  The 
men  are  well  clothed  and  provided  with  necessaries, 
and  I  trust  will  be  regularly  supplied  by  the  means 
of  the  officers  that  are  permitted  to  remain  with 
them.  The  treatment  in  general  that  we  have  re 
ceived  from  the  enemy  since  our  surrender  has 

3°3 


In  Epilogue 

been  perfectly  good  and  proper  ;  but  the  kindness 
and  attention  that  has  been  showed  to  us  by  the 
French  officers  in  particular,  their  delicate  sensibil 
ity  of  our  situation,  their  generous  and  pressing  offer 
of  money  both  public  and  private,  to  any  amount, 
has  really  gone  beyond  what  I  can  possibly  describe, 
and  will,  I  hope,  make  an  impression  on  the  breast 
of  every  officer,  whenever  the  fortune  of  war  should 
put  any  of  them  into  our  power. 

Although  the  event  has  been  so  unfortunate, 
the  patience  of  the  soldiers  in  bearing  the  greatest 
fatigues,  and  their  firmness  and  intrepidity  under  a 
persevering  fire  of  shot  and  shells,  that  I  believe 
has  not  often  been  exceeded,  deserved  the  highest 
admiration  and  praise.  A  successful  defence, 
however,  in  our  situation  was  perhaps  impossible  j 
for  the  place  could  only  be  reckoned  an  intrenched 
camp  subject  in  most  places  to  enfilade,  and  the 
ground  in  general  so  disadvantageous,  that  nothing 
but  the  necessity  of  fortifying  it  as  a  post  to  pro 
tect  the  navy  could  have  induced  any  person  to 
erect  works  upon  it.  Our  force  diminished  daily 
by  sickness  and  other  losses,  and  was  reduced, 
when  we  offered  to  capitulate  on  this  side,  to  little 
more  than  three  thousand  two  hundred  rank  and 
file  fit  for  duty,  including  officers'  servants  and 
artificers  ;  and  at  Gloucester  about  six  hundred, 
including  cavalry.  The  enemy's  army  consisted 
3°4 


In   Epilogue 

of  upward  of  six  thousand  French,  nearly  as  many 
Continentals,  and  five  thousand  militia.  They 
brought  an  immense  train  of  heavy  artillery,  most 
amply  furnished  with  ammunition,  and  perfectly 
well  manned. 

The  constant  and  universal  cheerfulness  and 
spirit  of  the  officers  in  all  hardships  and  dangers 
deserve  my  warmest  acknowledgment  j  and  I 
have  been  particularly  indebted  to  Brigadier- 
General  O'Hara  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Aber- 
crombie,  the  former  commanding  on  the  right, 
and  the  latter  on  the  left,  for  their  attention  and 
exertion  on  every  occasion.  The  detachment  of 
the  Twenty-Third  regiment,  commanded  by 
Captain  Apthorpe,  and  the  subsequent  detach 
ments,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  John 
son,  deserve  particular  commendation.  Captain 
Rochfort,  who  commanded  the  artillery,  and  in 
deed  every  officer  and  soldier  of  that  distinguished 
corps,  and  Lieutenant  Sutherland,  the  command 
ing  engineer,  have  merited  in  every  respect  my 
highest  approbation  ;  and  I  cannot  sufficiently 
acknowledge  my  obligations  to  Captain  Symonds, 
who  commanded  His  Majesty's  ships,  and  to  the 
other  officers  and  seamen  of  the  navy,  for  their 
active  and  zealous  co-operation. 

I  transmit  returns  of  our  killed  and  wounded  ; 
the  loss  of  seamen  and  towns-people  are  likewise 
20  305 


In  Epilogue 

considerable.  I  trust  Your  Excellency  will  please 
to  hasten  the  return  of  the  Bonetta,  after  landing 
her  passengers,  in  compliance  with  the  article  of 
capitulation. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Abercrombie  will  have  the 
honor  to  explain  this  despatch,  and  is  well  quali 
fied  to  explain  to  Your  Excellency  every  particular 
relating  to  our  past  and  present  situation. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 

CORNWALLIS. 


306 


II. 


His  Excellency,  General  George  Washington 
to  the  President  of  Congress. 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  NEAR  YORK,  19  OCT.  1781. 

SIR,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  Congress, 
that  a  reduction  of  the  British  army,  under  the 
command  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  is  most  happily 
effected.  The  unremitted  ardor,  which  actuated 
every  officer  and  soldier  in  the  combined  army  on 
this  occasion,  has  principally  led  to  this  important 
event,  at  an  earlier  period  than  my  most  sanguine 
hopes  had  induced  me  to  expect. 

The  singular  spirit  of  emulation,  which  anU 
mated  the  whole  army  from  the  first  commence 
ment  of  our  operations,  has  filled  my  mind  with 
the  highest  pleasure  and  satisfaction,  and  had 
given  me  the  happiest  presages  of  success. 

On  the  i  yth  instant,  a  letter  was  received  from 
Lord  Cornwallis,  proposing  a  meeting  of  commis 
sioners  to  consult  on  terms  for  the  surrender  of  the 
posts  of  York  and  Gloucester.  This  letter  (the  first 
which  had  passed  between  us)  opened  a  correspond- 
So? 


In   Epilogue 

ence,  a  copy  of  which  I  do  myself  the  honor  to 
enclose  j  that  correspondence  was  followed  by  the 
definitive  capitulation,  which  was  agreed  to  and 
signed  on  the  i9th,  a  copy  of  which  is  also  here 
with  transmitted,  and  which,  I  hope,  will  meet 
the  approbation  of  Congress. 

I  should  be  wanting  in  the  feelings  of  gratitude, 
did  I  not  mention  on  this  occasion,  with  the 
warmest  sense  of  acknowledgment,  the  very 
cheerful  and  able  assistance,  which  I  have  received 
in  the  course  of  our  operation  from  His  Excellency 
the  Count  de  Rochambeau  and  all  his  officers  of 
every  rank  in  their  respective  capacities.  Nothing 
could  equal  the  zeal  of  our  allies  but  the  emu 
lating  spirit  of  the  American  officers,  whose  ardor 
would  not  suffer  their  exertions  to  be  exceeded. 

The  very  uncommon  degree  of  duty  and 
fatigue  which  the  nature  of  the  service  required 
from  the  officers  of  engineers  and  artillery  of  both 
armies,  obliges  me  particularly  to  mention  the  ob 
ligations  I  am  under  to  the  commanding  and  other 
officers  of  those  corps. 

I  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to  express  to  Congress, 
how  much  I  feel  myself  indebted  to  the  Count  de 
Grasse  and  the  officers  of  the  fleet  under  his  com 
mand,  for  the  distinguished  aid  and  support  which 
has  been  afforded  by  them,  between  whom  and 
the  army  the  most  happy  concurrence  of  sentiments 
308 


In  Epilogue 

and  views  has  subsisted,  and  from  whom  every 
possible  co-operation  has  been  experienced,  which 
the  most  harmonious  intercourse  could  afford. 

Returns  of  the  prisoners,  military  stores,  ord 
nance,  shipping,  and  other  matters,  I  shall  do  my 
self  the  honor  to  transmit  to  Congress,  as  soon  as 
they  can  be  collected  by  the  heads  of  the  depart 
ments  to  which  they  belong. 

Colonel  Laurens  and  the  Viscount  de  Noailles, 
on  the  part  of  the  combined  army,  were  the  gentle 
men  who  acted  as  commissioners  for  forming  and 
settling  the  terms  of  capitulation  and  surrender, 
herewith  transmitted,  to  whom  I  am  particularly 
obliged  for  their  readiness  and  attention  exhibited 
on  the  occasion. 

Colonel  Tilghman,  one  of  my  aids-de-camp,  will 
have  the  honor  to  deliver  these  dispatches  to  your 
Excellency  ;  he  will  be  able  to  inform  you  of 
every  minute  circumstance,  which  is  not  partic 
ularly  mentioned  in  my  letter.  His  merits,  which 
are  too  well  known  to  need  any  observations  at 
this  time,  have  gained  my  particular  attention,  and 
I  could  wish  that  they  may  be  honored  by  the 
notice  of  Your  Excellency  and  Congress. 

Your  Excellency  and  Congress  will  be  pleased 
to  accept  my  congratulations  on  this  happy  event, 
and  believe  me  to  be,  with  the  highest  esteem,&c. 


309 


In  Epilogue 

Though  I  am  not  possessed  of  the  particular  re 
turns,  yet  I  have  reason  to  suppose  that  the  num 
ber  of  prisoners  will  be  between  five  and  six  thous 
and,  exclusive  of  seamen  and  others,  i 


1  This  letter  was  referred  on  the  a^-th  to  a  com 
mittee  of  Congress  (Randolph,  Boudinot,  Varnum, 
and  Carrol  ),  who  reported  a  series  of  resolves,  which 
were  adopted.  The  thanks  of  Congress  were  voted 
to  General  Washington,  Count  de  Rochambeau, 
and  Count  de  Grasse  respectively,  and  also  to  all 
the  officers  and  soldiers.  Two  stands  of  colors, 
taken  at  Yorktown,  were  presented  to  General 
Washington  ;  two  pieces  of  field-ordnance  to 
Count  de  Rochambeau  ;  and  a  similar  tribute  to 
Count  de  Grasse.  A  horse,  properly  caparisoned, 
and  an  elegant  sword,  were  given  to  Colonel  Tilgh- 
man,  who  had  been  the  bearer  of  the  dispatches 
containing  the  news  of  the  capitulation.  It  was 
also  resolved  that  Congress  would  cause  to  be  erected 
at  York  Town  a  marble  column,  adorned  with 
emblems  of  the  alliance  between  the  United  States 
and  France,  and  inscribed  with  a  succinct  narra 
tive  of  the  events  of  the  siege  and  capitulation. 
—  "Journals,  October 


THE    END. 


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IN    CAMBRIDGE,    MASSACHUSETTS,    FOR 

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